🔥 Earlier this Wednesday at the Chinese mainland’s 15th National Games in Shenzhen, 18-year-old Shandong sensation Zhang Zhanshuo flexed his skills in the pool. After already smashing the national junior record in the 400m freestyle, he went on to set a new junior mark in the men’s 200m freestyle with a blistering time of 1:44.86, clinching gold! 🥇🏊♂️
During the final, Zhejiang’s Pan Zhanle led through the first 100 meters, but Zhang surged after the turn to steal the lead. Shandong’s Ji Xinjie grabbed silver, while Pan settled for bronze. Shock of the day: Sun Yang, Zhejiang’s Olympic champ and one of the big names, was eliminated after a false start. Talk about drama! 😱
On the veteran side, 30-year-old Xu Jiayu continued his backstroke dynasty, nabbing his fourth consecutive men’s 100m backstroke title in 52.39 seconds. Heilongjiang’s Wang Gukailai and Shaanxi’s Jiang Chenglin completed the podium with silver and bronze.
Women’s races were just as fierce. Hebei’s distance queen Li Bingjie claimed her third straight 1,500m freestyle gold in 15:55.40, with Henan’s Wu Ruoxin and Zhejiang’s Mao Yihan taking silver and bronze. In the sprints, Shanghai’s breaststroke ace Tang Qianting touched first in the women’s 100m breaststroke (1:05.36), while Hubei’s Peng Xuwei reigned supreme in the women’s 100m backstroke with a 59.60 finish. 🏅
With records tumbling and hometown pride on full display, the Chinese mainland’s National Games are turning up the heat in the pool—stay tuned for more splashy moments! 🌊
Reference(s):
Zhang breaks national junior swimming record in men's 200m freestyle
cgtn.com
