China’s young swimmers are ushering in a new era of dominance in the pool, with a stellar performance at the Asian Games, taking the national swimming team’s gold medal tally to an impressive 11 by Monday.
One of the standout performances came from 19-year-old Pan Zhanle, a freestyle sprint specialist who stole the show with a groundbreaking time of 46.97 seconds in the men’s 100 meters freestyle. This incredible feat not only secured him a gold medal but also made him the first Asian swimmer to break the 47-second barrier. Despite this, Pan expressed that he had higher aspirations, “I felt my performance was mediocre. I was aiming to break the world record before the race. It’s a bit disappointing that I missed it by only 0.11 seconds.” This timing places him as the fifth-fastest swimmer in the discipline’s history. The current world record, set by Romania’s David Popovici, stands at 46.86 seconds.
Pan attributed his success to rigorous training, with a focus on improving his jump start and flip turns. The young swimmer also emphasized the importance of his communication with his coach and shared his determination to break the world record in the future.
Another rising star, 18-year-old Wang Haoyu, secured his place next to Pan on the podium with a timing of 48.02 seconds. Though he achieved a respectable result, Wang felt that nervousness played a role in his performance, “It was slightly below my expectations. I still need to fight in the events to come.”
On the women’s side, 19-year-old Tang Qianting set new standards with her performance in the 50 meters breaststroke. She clocked an impressive time of 29.92 seconds, setting a new national and Asian record. This was Tang’s first time breaking the 30-second barrier, surpassing her previous best time.
Another remarkable feat was achieved by 18-year-old Yu Yiting in the women’s 200 meters individual relay. She set a new Asian Games record with a time of 2:07.75, even surpassing her senior teammate and 2012 Olympic champion, Ye Shiwen.
Yang Junxuan, at 21 years, also contributed significantly by playing a pivotal role in clinching the gold medal in the women’s 4×100 meters freestyle relay.
The team’s stalwarts, Zhang Yufei and Qin Haiyang, continue to be the marquee names. Zhang expressed her aspirations to win seven gold medals in Hangzhou and to claim the Asian Games MVP award, a title previously held by Japan’s Rikako Ikee.
Breaststroke champion Qin Haiyang, on the other hand, has already made his mark by lowering the Asian Games record in the men’s 100 meters breaststroke to 57.76 seconds. He now has his eyes set on breaking the 50 meters world record, an event he feels confident about and has been extensively training for.
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