2017 Zhu Wang Cup/Chinese Autumn Nationals
- October 20th-24th, 2017
- Huangshan City, China
- 50m Course
- Results (in Chinese)
22-year old Chinese swimmer Yan Zibei swam the first sub-minute long course 100 breaststroke of the new season in September at the Chinese National Games, and on Friday at the Zhu Wang Cup, China’s autumn national championship event, he did so again. Zibei swam 59.38 in the event on day 1 of the meet, which was a second-and-a-half faster than anyone else in the field, and gives him the world’s only two times better than a minute in the young season.
Zibei was a member of the Chinese team at the 2016 Olympic Games, though he finished just tied-for-27th in the 100 breaststroke. He improved at last summer’s World Championships to make the final, but added time to just finish 7th. In the 50, he set a National Record in prelims but then missed the final altogether. Those individual swims earned him a spot on China’s top relays, where he grabbed a medal as part of China’s mixed 400 medley relay that tied Canada for bronze and was part of a 6th-place team in the men’s 400 medley relay.
Other Day 1 Winners:
- 14-year old Peng Xuwei won the women’s 200 backstroke in 2:09.55.
- Zhu Menghui topped the women’s 100 freestyle in 53.88. Similarly to Zibei, she’s the only woman in the world under 54 seconds this season – and she’s done it twice.
- Qian Zhiyong won the men’s 200 IM in 2:01.08 – more than 4 seconds faster than anybody else in the field.
- A competitive women’s 50 breaststroke was decided by less than two-tenths of a second, with Feng Junyang ultimately out-touching Suo Ran 31.94-31.73
- Ji Xinjie won the men’s 1500 free in 15:34.73
- Yu Li Yan took the win in the women’s 200 fly in 2:10.72.China failed to medal in this event at the 2017 World Championships for the first time since 2007.
- Zhejiang won the men’s 800 free in 7:24.86.