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Wang Changhao Becomes China’s #2 100 Fly Performer En Route To Paris Qualification

2024 CHINESE NATIONAL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Day 8 of the 2024 Chinese National Swimming Championships concluded this evening from Shenzhen with additional names being added to the provisional roster for this summer’s Olympic Games.

21-year-old Wang Changhao stopped the clock in 51.20 for a statement-making swim en route to winning the men’s 100m butterfly.

Wang opened in 23.75 and brought it home in 27.45 to establish a new lifetime best. Entering this competition, Wang’s PB rested at the 51.24 notched for silver at last year’s Asian Games. His outing here easily clears the 51.68 needed to qualify for Paris.

Also making the cut was Sun Jiajun who hit 51.54 as the silver medalist. That, too, represents a new career-quickest result, overtaking the 51.74 posted at the 2020 Olympic Games. Sun now becomes China’s 4th-fastest man in history.

Xu Fang rounded out the podium this evening in 51.87.

Top 5 Chinese Men’s LCM 100 Butterfly Performers

  1. Li Zhuhao – 50.96, 2017
  2. Wang Changhao – 51.20, 2024
  3. Zhou Jiawei – 51.24, 2009
  4. Sun Jiajun – 51.54, 2024
  5. Shi Feng – 51.68, 2008

18-year-old Yu Yiting got it done for gold in the women’s 200m IM, topping the podium in 2:09.73. She was slightly faster in the semi-finals, hitting 2:09.58 last night to earn the top seed.

Yu remains China’s #2 performer in history, courtesy of the 2:07.75 she turned in for gold at last year’s Asian Games. However, she needed to dip under the OQT of 2:11.47 here as that previous competition did not count towards Paris qualification.

Zheng Huiyu fell short of qualification, touching in 2:11.87 while Ge Chutong bagged bronze in 2:12.10. As a reminder, the 200m breaststroke champion here, Ye Shiwen, dropped out of the 200m IM event due to illness.

Asian record holder Li Bingjie made her presence known in the 800m free. The 22-year-old triple Asian Games gold medalist posted a winning effort of 8:25.43 to further solidify this event on her Paris lineup.

She was the sole swimmer to delve under the 8:26.71 cut-off needed to make the Paris grade. Gao Weizhong touched in 8:27.97 and Ma Yonghui was the 3rd place finisher in 8:29.24.

The mixed medley relay contest finished the session, with Pan Zhanle firing off a blistering anchor of 46.72 on his squad’s silver medal team. You can read more about the relay results here.

Semi-finals

  • Wu Qingfeng earned the pole position in the women’s 50m free, producing a semi swim of 24.27. That holds a narrow advantage over Zhang Yufei who hit 24.31 for the main event. Cheng Yujie is also in th emix with a time of 24.56 tonight.

Chinese Olympic Qualifiers Through Day 8

  • Note: times crossed out means a swimmer was faster than the qualifying standard, but was either faster at a prior qualifying meet, or are not in the top two swimmers during the qualifying period.

OQT’s Clocked Thus Far at the 2024 Chinese Nationals

OQT’s Clocked From 2023/2024 World Championships

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Greg P
6 months ago

With this, China is slotting themselves in the conversation of men’s 4×100 medley gold.

Swimmerguy
Reply to  Greg P
6 months ago

The U.S are simply too good. China will be 1-2 seconds behind them

Greg P
Reply to  Swimmerguy
6 months ago

Except that China posted the fastest m4x100 medley last year, faster than the US.

Zaj
6 months ago

China will be the heavy favourite in Mixed medley relays with xu, qin, zhang and yang almost breaks the world record with a time 3:37.73 clocked during the asian games last september, just 0.15sec outside the world record set by great britain in tokyo olympics.

My prediction at paris olympics
Gold- China
Silver – Great Britain
Bronze – USA

Sub13
Reply to  Zaj
6 months ago

I think you’re overestimating GB. Peaty is back but not at his Tokyo level. Their other 3 legs are significantly worse than Tokyo. A medal for GB over Australia would be a surprise

Greg P
Reply to  Sub13
6 months ago

Agreed.

Leoyu
6 months ago

Medleys are shaping up to be exciting races. If Wang Changhao is putting up a PB coming off a foot injury, I don’t think the fly leg will be that much of an issue for them. If he recovers then he should be able to go 50.5 or faster. If the US puts up a 49.5 fly spilt that’ll be a sec difference. Give Murphy a couple tenths maybe, but a 1.4 sec difference is nothing Qin and Pan can’t make up. This one will be close.

Hard to argue China is pretty firmly in the pole position for the mixed medley. This is probably the most likely relay WR to go this summer. 

US still favored by a good… Read more »

Lisa
Reply to  Leoyu
6 months ago

I get what you’re saying about the men’s side but right now a lot of people seems to underestimate Alexy like he’s not gonna be that far off even if Pan outsplit him on free leg .

Leoyu
Reply to  Lisa
6 months ago

I’m not underestimating Alexy, or Dressel for that matter. I think Pan beating Alexy by 0.4 is reasonable, as is Qin beating Fink by a second. Dressel going 49.5 is also pretty reasonable

Lisa
Reply to  Leoyu
6 months ago

Yeah it’s likely Pan probably gonna be faster than Alexy on freestyle and beating Fink by a second on breastrokes is way too optimistic but I also do think USA probably gonna hold on with Alexy on the anchor leg.

Last edited 6 months ago by Lisa
David S
Reply to  Leoyu
6 months ago

Nah, China is winning that medley relay.
And WR might be threatened IF that fly leg is decent

Sub13
Reply to  Leoyu
6 months ago

Based on current times on paper, assuming everyone goes close to their best, China should win. However, USA haven’t had trials yet so that could easily change. Should be a great race regardless.

I need to run the numbers on the women. Tang is a bit of a game changer but it certainly doesn’t feel like China is in the race as much as Aus or USA at this point

Leoyu
Reply to  Sub13
6 months ago

Would be interesting to see what you think after looking at the numbers. On paper China may be ahead of Aus and more likely to challenge the US. With China vs Aus, the question is, McKeown vs Wan and Tang vs Aus’s breaststroker, which margin is going to be bigger? At least right now, Tang’s margin is likely to be bigger. So McKeon and MOC would have to do a bit of catch up against Zhang and Yang.

Sub13
Reply to  Leoyu
6 months ago

You’re right. The numbers do put China right in the mix. I guess it’s just easy to forget because they haven’t managed to put together a really competitive relay yet despite having all the pieces.

Seems like Paris is going to be a revival of sorts for China as a major swimming nation

Lisa
Reply to  Sub13
6 months ago

Assuming everyone goes close to their best and USA have their trials ,it’s probably close between the two but I still think USA is a slight favorite based on their track record at the Olympics but yeah it’s gonna be great race for sure .

Greg P
Reply to  Lisa
6 months ago

Based on their men’s 4×100 free track record at the Olympics (never beaten ever) USA should have won Sydney’s m4x100 free.

And then they didn’t.

Leoyu
6 months ago

Medleys are shaping up to be exciting races. If Wang Changhao is putting up a PB coming off a foot injury, I don’t think the fly leg will be that much of an issue for them. If he recovers then he should be able to go 50.5 or faster. If the US puts up a 49.5 fly spilt that’ll be a sec difference. Give Murphy a couple tenths maybe, but a 1.4 sec difference is nothing Qin and Pan can’t make up. This one will be close.

Hard to argue China is pretty firmly in the pole position for the mixed medley. This is probably the most likely relay WR to go this summer.

US still favored by a… Read more »

Ron
6 months ago

Paris Qualifiction
Love the new word we got now

Sub13
6 months ago

Oooh here comes the medley relay. That’s a potential WR team.

Zaj
6 months ago

China will be the same men 4x100m medley relay quartet that clocked the 2nd fastest time in history last year at asian games.
Xu jiayu – 52.05
Qin haiyang – 57.63
Wang changhao – 50.68
Pan zhanle – 46.65

3.27.01

David S
6 months ago

The fly will always be chinas’s weak medley relay leg.
But with their WR freestyler it won’t make a difference

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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