In Shenzhen, the Chinese mainland's 15th National Games pool came alive on Wednesday as 18-year-old Zhang Zhanshuo from Shandong province etched his name in the record books. Already the national junior record holder in the men's 400m freestyle, Zhang powered to gold in the 200m freestyle with a blistering time of 1:44.86, shattering the previous junior mark.
Zhejiang province's Pan Zhanle led the first 100 meters, but Zhang surged off the wall, showcasing remarkable speed and endurance to clinch the top step. Shandong province's Ji Xinjie touched in second for silver, while Pan settled for bronze at 1:45.22. In a dramatic turn, Olympic champion Sun Yang of Zhejiang province was eliminated after a false start, underscoring the fine margins at this elite level.
Meanwhile, backstroke specialist Xu Jiayu continued his National Games dominance, capturing his fourth straight men's 100m backstroke title in 52.39 seconds. Heilongjiang province's Wang Gukailai and Shaanxi province's Jiang Chenglin completed the podium with silver and bronze respectively.
On the women's side, Hebei province's Li Bingjie claimed her third consecutive title in the 1500m freestyle, touching the wall at 15:55.40. Henan province's Wu Ruoxin earned silver, and Zhejiang province's Mao Yihan took bronze. Breaststroke standout Tang Qianting of Shanghai surged to gold in the women's 100m breaststroke with a time of 1:05.36, while Hubei province's Peng Xuwei topped the podium in the women's 100m backstroke at 59.60 seconds.
These standout performances reflect a new era of talent challenging established stars at the Chinese mainland's 15th National Games, signaling an exciting future for global swimming fans.
Reference(s):
Zhang breaks national junior swimming record in men's 200m freestyle
cgtn.com
