Zhang Yufei Crushes 50 Free Final With 24.32 at Chinese Olympic Trials

CHINESE OLYMPIC TRIALS #1

• Friday, April 30th – Saturday, May 8th
• Qingdao, China
• Primary Olympic Qualifier
• LCM (50m)
• Results via Asian Media
• Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Finals Recap
• Day 4 Finals Recap
• Day 5 Finals Recap
• Day 6 Finals Recap
• Day 7 Finals Recap

Day 8 of the Chinese Olympic Trials witnessed one new Chinese Olympic qualifier while two swimmers added another event to their potential Olympic lineup in Tokyo.

Zhang Yufei won the 50 free final with a time of 24.32, .14 faster than her victory in the semifinals. Wu Qingfeng took 2nd place close behind (24.37) while National Record-holder Liu Xiang claimed 3rd place (24.61). All three women broke the FINA ‘A’ cut, but only the top two are guaranteed spots on China’s Olympic roster.

Yufei’s time puts her within the top ten fastest women in the event in the world this season, though her season-best time of 24.31 from December ranks her 9th:

This brings Yufei’s amount of individual Olympic qualifying events to three (100 fly, 200 fly, 50 free) and Qingfeng’s to two (100 free and 50 free.)

In the men’s 50 free final, Chinese National Record-holder Yu Hexin touched the wall 1st with a time of 21.89, within .10 of his National Record from last year. Hexin placed 20th in this event at the 2016 Rio Olympics and he was the only swimmer to crack the FINA ‘A’ cut in the final today. This time puts Hexin just outside of the top 12 men in the event in the world this season.

1st place finisher in the men’s 1500 free final, Cheng Long, finished with a time of 15:19.85, about 19 seconds off the FINA ‘A’ cut. Long also won the 800 freestyle final on day 5 but missed the ‘A’ cut by about one second.

As a reminder, this is the first of two Olympic qualifying meets for China, with the second Trials meet scheduled for May 31st – June 1st. While some events have less than two swimmers qualified so far, those unclaimed Olympic roster spots can be earned later this month. You can read our most recent Chinese Olympic roster update here.

Top 3 Finishers in Each Event:

Men’s 50 Freestyle – Final

• FINA ‘A’ cut: 22.01
• Chinese National Record: 21.79 – Yu Hexin (2020)

1. Yu Hexin – 21.89
2. Wang Changhao – 22.43
3. Yang Jintong – 22.47

Women’s 50 Freestyle – Final

• FINA ‘A’ cut: 24.77
• Chinese National Record: 24.03 – Liu Xiang (2020)

1. Zhang Yufei – 24.32
2. Wu Qingfeng – 24.37
3. Liu Xiang – 24.61

Men’s 1500 Freestyle – Final

• FINA ‘A’ cut: 15:00.99
• Chinese National Record: 14:31.02 – Sun Yang (2012)

1. Cheng Long – 15:19.85
2. Ji Xinjie – 15:23.20
3. Fei Liwei – 15:25.83