2023 WORLD AQUATICS SWIMMING WORLD CUP – BERLIN
- October 6-8, 2023
- Berlin, Germany
- LCM (50 meters)
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Qin Haiyang sent a message on Friday during the opening leg of the World Cup Series in Berlin.
Matched up against what are expected to be his biggest contenders for gold at next summer’s Olympics, the Chinese powerhouse obliterated the field en route to victory in the men’s 100 breast, matching his Asian Record of 57.69 in what is the fastest time ever produced by someone not named Adam Peaty.
Qin has now broken 58 seconds five times in the 100 breast, a feat only he, Peaty and Arno Kamminga have ever achieved.
The 24-year-old Qin first entered 57-second territory at the Chinese National Championships in May, clocking 57.93, and then went sub-58 twice at the World Championships in July, touching in 57.82 in the semis before winning gold in the final in 57.69.
We’re less than two weeks removed from his fourth time breaking 58 this year, having put up a time of 57.76 at the Asian Games in late September.
Relative to those performances, Qin didn’t have his fastest opening or closing 50, but found a happy medium at 27.0/30.6.
Split Comparison
| 2023 Chinese Nationals | 2023 Worlds Semis | 2023 Asian Games | 2023 World Final |
2023 World Cup – Berlin
|
| 27.04 | 27.31 | 26.69 | 26.96 | 27.09 |
| 57.93 (30.89) | 57.82 (30.51) | 57.76 (31.07) | 57.69 (30.73) | 57.69 (30.60) |
When he won the world title in Fukuoka, Qin was more than a second clear of the rest of the field, with Nicolo Martinenghi, Kamminga and Nic Fink, who went 1-2-3 in the 2022 World final, tying for silver in 58.72.
Peaty, who was absent at both the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, owns the 14-fastest swims in history, though all of those were set between 2016 and 2021.
All-Time Performances, Men’s 100 Breaststroke (LCM)
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 56.88 – 2019 World Championships
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.10 – 2018 European Championships
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.13 – 2016 Olympic Games
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.14 – 2019 World Championships
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.37 – 2021 Olympic Games
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.39 – 2021 Olympic Trials
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.47 – 2017 World Championships
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.55 – 2016 Olympic Games
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.56 – 2021 Olympic Games
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.59 – 2019 World Championships
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.62 – 2016 Olympic Games
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.63 – 2021 Olympic Games
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.66 – 2021 European Championships
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.67 – 2021 European Championships
- Qin Haiyang (CHN) / Qin Haiyang (CHN), 57.69 – 2023 World Championships / 2023 World Cup Berlin
- –
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.75 – 2017 World Championships
- Qin Haiyang (CHN), 57.76 – 2023 Asian Games
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.79 – 2017 British Championships
- Arno Kamminga (NED), 57.80 – 2021 Olympic Games
- Qin Haiyang (CHN), 57.82 – 2023 World Championships
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.87 – 2019 British Championships
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.89 – 2018 European Championships
- Arno Kamminga (NED), 57.90 – 2021 Dutch National Time Trial
- Adam Peaty (GBR), 57.92 – 2015 British Championships
- Qin Haiyang (CHN), 57.93 – 2023 Chinese National Championships
Qin’s 2023 has truly been remarkable, as not only did he become the first man to sweep the breaststroke events at the World Championships, along with doing the same at the World University Games and the Asian Games, he’s also entered rarefied air with the number of sub-58 swims he’s produced in a year.
With five in 2023, Qin now only trails the seven sub-58 swims Peaty produced in 2021.
Most Sub-58 100 Breast Swims In A Calendar Year
- Adam Peaty, 2021 – 7
- Qin Haiyang, 2023 – 5
- Adam Peaty, 2019 – 4
- Adam Peaty, 2016/2017 – 4
- –
Factoring in the two 57-second swims from Kamminga in 2021, that year had the most sub-58s by a wide margin with nine, but Qin’s solo effort in 2023 ranks 2nd.
| Year | Sub-58s |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2015 | 1 |
In the race itself, Qin left his rivals in the dust, as Kamminga was 2nd in 59.01, while his Dutch countryman Caspar Corbeau grabbed 3rd in 59.27.
Fink, Martinenghi and Peaty took 4th, 5th and 6th, and although all broke a minute, which, in-season, would typically be regarded as a decent performance, it’s hard to ignore the gap between Qin and everyone else.
To put the cherry on top of Qin’s performance, he also re-lowered the World Cup Record of 58.42 he set in the prelims, which took down the 58.73 mark established by Ilya Shymanovich in 2019.
Peaty still owns Qin. He posted faster times than Qin’s PR in the event in prelims, semis AND finals of both 2019 Worlds and 2021 Olympics which is absolutely bonkers. That said Qin is the 200BR WR holder.
He’s legit real deal, but never get respected by Swimswam.
He was ranked #70 in Swimswam’s most promising male swimmer of 2023.
That’s selection bias
Is he staying tapered for the rest of his life at this point?
MAndrew should learn something.
They’re watching films right now and trying to replicate his stroke
Everytime I feel like the competition is getting closer to Peaty’s peak form then you look at that all time performances list and realize just how far ahead he was
Percentage wise it’s the same as a 47.53 100m free vs the world record of 46.86. Peaty is still that far ahead…
Qin is a monster, just give him the gold now!
Peaty seems to have back end pacing issues ever since Tokyo (commonwealth games + his races at the start of the year). But to break one minute after 6 months out of the pool isn’t a bad effort. The road to Paris starts now for him!
Indeed!
the consistency is just crazy
So he wasn’t tapered at all and he did this time?
Bull sh!t there something wrong with this whole I was a 58 mid at my peak and then in one year I’m constantly swimming 57s and I dropped a 57.6 un-tapered
The “something wrong” is he was training for the 400 IM.
Nic Fink’s PB at age 27 was a 59.21. Now at 30 he’s a 58.3. Why is that not more suspicious than Qin Haiyang?
QH was a multiple WHR holder and then had a strong improvement at 23. That doesn’t seem out of the ordinary.
Clearly the favourite to win the Olympics by a mile now
There is a basic thing called muscle memory and muscles recovery quickly to their former state once they start working out/training again and Peaty just started training again so very plausible he will be back to his former self by the olympics or even better.
Hahahaha
It’s certainly plausible, meaning it COULD happen. But there doesn’t seem to be any evidence right now suggesting it will happen. I don’t see how Qin is anything but heavy favourite right now.
Peaty has worked hard in the gym and has actually muscled up where he doesn’t need to. I’ve watched him going for PBS in lifts that do NOTHING for actually swimming breaststroke at 56 pace, He has been badly advised or is getting carried away on the strength issue