CHINESE OLYMPIC TRIALS #1
- Friday, April 30th – Saturday, May 8th
- Qingdao, China
- Primary Olympic Qualifier
- LCM (50m)
- Results via Asian Media
Despite earlier reports that Olympic champion Sun Yang would indeed be racing at this Chinese Olympic Trials Meet #1 in Qingdao, it turns out the controversial 29-year-old will not be competing after all. The once-8-year-banned freestyle ace is set to have his second hearing with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) from May 24th-28th via virtual conference.
Depending on the outcome of that conference, Sun may yet be able to compete, with a secondary Chinese Olympic Trials on the books from May 31st – June 1st.
Of those athletes who are in Qingdao this weekend, national record holder Zhang Yufei already made her mark in a big way. With the meet’s timing mimicking that of Tokyo, with prelims in the evening and finals in the morning, Zhang took on the women’s 100m fly prelim top spot with ease.
The 23-year-old wasted no time busting out a statement-making swim, stopping the clock in 55.96. That time is just off the 55.62 she produced last September, a mark which remains the #1 time in the world this season, as well as the Chinese and Asian continental records.
Tonight, Zhang opened in 25.82 and closed in 30.14 to claim lane 4 for tomorrow morning’s finals, easily clearing the FINA ‘A’ cut of 57.92 needed to qualify for the Olympic Games.
However, despite her time here already coming within .34 of her aforementioned lifetime best, the athlete is far from satisfied.
“I am not happy with the time as I planned to break the world record of 55.48 in the heats. I hope to add my name with the new world record before the Olympic Games, then I won’t be too nervous,” said Zhang.
“With the Olympic Games coming soon, I feel more and more nervous. I try to relax myself by watching TV series and play musical instruments, like the piano.”
Additional notable prelim swims came from Yan Zibei, who touched first in the men’s 100m breast in 1:00.58 while Yu Yiting and Ye Shiwen are separated by just over a second in the women’s 400m IM. The former captured the top spot in 4:41.32 while Ye will try to win gold after her heats swim of 4:42.55
It makes Emma McKeon’s decision of what to focus on beyond freestyle sprint even tougher:
100fly or 200FR ?
It is hard to imagine that she can prepare herself to the podium level at both these extracurricular events that have nothing in common.
so… i have doubts. Again. There are some ‘super times’ that just ‘happen to appear’ in the end of a pandemic year in both swimming and other olympic events like track and field. Just check out the way teenage girls run 400 meters this year…
Maybe thinking she has the best chance for the world record at a domestic meet (with domestic officials)?
This isn’t Uzbekistan
Can’t always get’em on the first try.
Zhang Yufei has been on the international scene for quite some time. Zhang Yufei won the bronze medal in the women’s 200 meter butterfly at the 2015 FINA World Aquatics Championships with a time of 2:06.51 (WJR) at the age of 17.
Wonder if she can break that stigma of Chinese swimmers only do good on Chinese soil.
Well …… Kazan is not Gwangju or Tokyo.
Because shiwen was double OG in London, which we all know is a Chinese city..
Or maybe they took some soil from Chine and dug under the pool before..
“I am not happy with the time as I planned to break the world record of 55.48 in the heats. I hope to add my name with the new world record before the Olympic Games, then I won’t be too nervous” bruh, calm down.
That is how it always happens in this fair life. As soon as the leader cannot defend his/her position there is immediately somebody who wants to take his/her place.
Imagine throwing down the 10th-fastest swim of all time and being disappointed
Tokyo 2021 Olympics
Women’s 100 meter butterfly
Yufei, MacNeil, Curzan
The aforementioned three will be on the podium, in which order who knows.
Agreed, sjostom’s recovery doesn’t seem far enough along to be competitive.
Sarah Sjostrom’s best time in the women’s 100 meter butterfly since 1 January 2020 has been 56.71 seconds.
The last time Sjostrom went under 56 was 2017 World Championships.
And she is injured
I’d love to see MacNeil and Curzan at the 2021 TYR Pro Swim Series – Indianapolis, IN in May.
lol why does everyone hate you so much? You’re getting dislikes for not even saying anything controversial
I embrace the downvote.
people don’t like him because all he does is post irrelevant times and bogus claims. Like Sarah’s 56.71 is just proof that she’s not back yet he’s acting like it is.