2023 WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- July 23 to 30, 2023
- Fukuoka, Japan
- Marine Messe Fukuoka
- LCM (50m)
- WORLD CHAMPS WATCH PARTY – DAILY
- Meet Central
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Entry Book
- Live Results (Omega)
- Day 1 Prelims Live Recap | Day 1 Finals Live Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
- Day 3 Prelims Live Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
- Day 4 Prelims Live Recap | Day 4 Finals Live Recap
- Day 5 Prelims Live Recap | Day 5 Finals Live Recap
- Day 6 Prelims Live Recap | Day 6 Finals Live Recap
In a dominant swim, China’s Qin Haiyang broke the men’s 200 breaststroke world record in a time of 2:05.48, wiping out Zac Stubblety-Cook‘s mark of 2:05.95 from 2022. Qin also handed Stubblety-Cook, who was the defending world and Olympic champion, his first finals loss in the 200 breast since July 2019.
Prior to winning the 200 breast, Qin also won the 50 and 100 breast, meaning that he has swept the breaststroke events at these World Championships. He is the first swimmer to sweep the 50, 100 and 200 in any stroke at Worlds.
All-Time Top Performers, Men’s 200-Meter Breaststroke:
- Qin Haiyang (CHN) — 2:05.48
- Zac Stubblety-Cook (AUS) — 2:05.95
- Anton Chupkov (RUS) — 2:06.12
- Shoma Sato (JPN) — 2:06.40
- Leon Marchand (FRA) — 2:06.59
Qin and Stubblety-Cook have very different racing strategies. With Qin being a sprinter, he took his race out considerably faster than Stubblety-Cook at Worlds, and was over a second ahead of him for the majority of his race. Stubblety-Cook had a faster closing split than Qin both at Worlds and when he swam his world record, but the gap was just too much to overcome between the two.
Splits Comparison:
| Qin Haiyang, 2023 World Championships (current world record) | Zac Stubblety-Cook, 2023 World Championships | Zac Stubblety-Cook, 2022 Australian Trials (former world record) | |
| 50m | 28.53 | 29.50 | 29.43 |
| 100m | 32.19 | 32.45 | 32.46 |
| 150m | 32.64 | 32.45 | 32.43 |
| 200m | 32.12 | 32.00 | 31.63 |
| Total | 2:05.48 | 2:06.40 | 2:05.95 |
“I learnt a lot from yesterday’s semi final, because we all know Zac Stubblety-Cook has a strong last 100,” Qin said. “So for me, my strength is my speed, and I have very good confidence in my speed. I also know if we touch the wall together at the 150, the last 50 I want to go with him. That’s why I know speed is my strength.
“But of course people have two sides,” Qin added. “They’re a little bit of angel, and a little bit of devil inside. So this afternoon it was kind of a struggle between those two. I told myself, maybe I can lose this race, I’ve already got two gold medals. But before the race, I told myself, when I’m in the pool there is no loser, I don’t want to be a loser, I have to win. That’s why I used my speed, and that’s why I used my confidence to win this race.”
Qin now has four gold medals from these World Championships. The only other swimmer that is able to match his gold medal count is Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan (who has two individual and two relay golds).
Matt Fallon the American who came in 3rd in this race was not mentioned at all in this story, and he should have been..
Why would Matt Fallon be mentioned in an article about a World Record that he didn’t break?
QINHAIYANg the goat- best ever peaty too busy writing books and wandering around swim camps trying make more money. zach stubbetly cook is so salty just lookat his little face on the podiums lol bro said ‘interesting swim for qin’
What goggles does he wear?
Anybody know which goggles he’s wearing?
Nic Fink drops time: strong, beautiful and sexy
Qin Haiyang drops time: cheater and doper
Of course I was pulling for Zac but what an achievement from Qin. He’s been outstanding all week.
I’m not convinced that Marchand can beat Qin in the 200breast next year. Qin also had pretty imperfect strokes into at least 2 of the walls. It seems like there is a 2:04 there with a few more reps in.
Disappointed but not surprised with the accusations here. The guy went 2:07 low as an 18 year old…is it that far-fetched to think he could drop less than two seconds in six years? Consistently been 2:08 low or fast each season since. Changes coaches to a totally different style of training and has his breakthrough.
Nic Fink went from 2:13 high at 18 to 2:07 mid at 27, without a coaching change, yet no one accuses him.
Disqualified at the Olympics (where he said he already had a 2:06 in him), likely unable to train much last year due to COVID lockdowns…finally gets over his slump now. As someone else said, he’d get a perseverance award if he was in… Read more »
Yellow peril still lingers (in fact has gotten worse recently) unfortunately…
There seems to also be a narrative people like yourself are trying to create of some kind of US/China bias/story.
In doing so you are failing to acknowledge the extrodinary facts here, in that a year ago, even 6 months ago not a single follower of elite swimming would have predicted Qin to be the first person ever to do the 50, 100, 200 sweep, becoming the 2nd quickest of all time in the 50 and 100 and smashing the 200 WR, absolutely destroying his pre 2023 PBs in the process at an age where most male swimmers tend to see gradual improvements. His nationality is irrelevant.
Yeah, just like how in January 2017 no one predicted Dressel to win the 50 free (textile best), 100 free (American record, .07 off textile best), 100 fly (textile best by over half a second, ~2.5 seconds better than his lifetime best in January 2017), all four 4×100 relays (two world records, one textile best) at World Champs in July 2017. Oh, and an American record in the 50 fly to boot.
Again you are trying to create a us/china bias narrative here.
Dressel was also 20 in 2017, not 24 like Qin is. Much more common to see big improvements in a 20 year old than a 24 year old.
Try again please
Nah, I’ll pass.
I rest my case then