Yu Zidi, Pan Zhanle Headline Star-Studded Opening Day of Chinese National Championships

2026 CHINESE NATIONAL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, June 16 – Sunday, June 21, 2026
• Shenzhen, China
• LCM (50 meters)
• Live Results

The majority of China’s top stars were in action on Tuesday as the 2026 Chinese National Swimming Championships got underway in Shenzhen, with the top two finishers in each event likely earning a berth at the Asian Games later this year.

Thirteen-year-old Yu Zidi kicked off the opening finals session of the meet by claiming victory in the women’s 200 fly, putting up a time of 2:06.12, the second-fastest swim of her career after setting a personal best of 2:05.71 at the China Open in March, which ranks her 5th in the world this season.

Yu was 4th in the event at the 2025 World Championships, when, at the age of 12, she put up a then-personal best time of 2:06.43 in the final.

Gong Zhenqi, 16, put up a time of 2:07.30 to earn the runner-up spot, just two one-hundredths shy of her lifetime best set in 2024 at the age of 14, to move into 9th in the world this season. Chang Mohan rounded out the top three in 2:07.54 after clocking a lifetime best of 2:07.16 in March.

Following the women’s 200 fly, Tokyo Olympic champion Wang Shun put on a dominant performance in the final of the men’s 200 IM, clocking 1:56.16 to chip four one-hundredths off his season-best of 1:56.20, set at the Chinese National Games in November, to remain the fifth-fastest man in the world.

The fifth-fastest performer of all-time with his Asian Record of 1:54.62, Wang has been under 1:56 four times in his career, but his swim on Tuesday marked his quickest in two years.

Xie Yichen, just 15, was the runner-up in a time of 1:59.42, having set a personal best of 1:58.74 at the China Open in March.

Also hitting a season-best en route to victory on the opening night was Pan Zhanle, the Paris Olympic champion in the men’s 100 free, who fired off a time of 47.91 to claim the event and knock three one-hundredths off the 47.94 he set three months ago. He takes over sole possession of 15th in the world rankings after previously sitting in a tie with Australian Flynn Southam.

Pan won the Olympic gold medal in the 100 free two years ago thanks to his scintillating 24.12 back-end 50, but tonight, he was nearly a full second slower coming home, splitting 22.88/25.03.

Zhang Zhanshuo, the World Junior Record holder in the 400 free, placed 2nd in a time of 48.33, resetting his personal best after going 48.84 in the prelims. Zhang closed quicker than Pan, splitting 23.48/24.85 in the final.

It was a competitive final with all eight men under 48.8, a positive sign for the future of China’s 4×100 free relay.

Wang Haoyu was 3rd in 48.36, and Chen Juner nabbed the fourth spot in 48.55. Wang owns a personal best of 47.89 from 2023, while Chen set his PB of 48.00 last year.

Two teenagers, Liu Yaojie and Xu Haibo, set respective personal best times of 48.58 and 48.79 to finish 5th and 8th. Liu was 9th-fastest in the prelims in 49.07, but was bumped up to the final after Xu Fang scratched out.

OTHER EVENTS

• Tang Qianting continued to show off her prowess in the women’s 50 breaststroke, setting a new meet record of 29.78 in the prelims before winning the final in 29.95. Tang set the Asian Record of 29.44 in March, which ranks her #1 in the world this season.
• Yang Chang, who ranks 3rd in the world with her 30.11 from the Chinese National Games in November, clocked 30.33 to place 2nd, while IM specialist Yu Yiting set a lifetime best of 30.45 to place 3rd and move to 14th in the world rankings.
• Decorated distance swimmer Li Bingjie cruised to victory in the women’s 1500 freestyle in a time of 16:06.81, doing just enough to win with Gao Weizhong (16:07.44) and Ma Yonghui (16:08.26) not too far behind. Li ranks 4th in the world with the 15:55.40 she produced last fall at the Chinese National Games. Gao set a season-best to rank 14th in the world, while Ma dropped four seconds from her PB to move into a tie for 15th in the seasonal rankings.
• Taking 4th was Liang Zhengjie, a 13-year-old who set a new personal best of 16:14.98. Liang’s previous best was 16:25.84, set in March. She also flipped in 8:35.29 at the 800, five seconds under her 800 PB of 8:40.49.
• Thirty-year-old veteran Xu Jiayu continued his domestic reign in the men’s 100 backstroke, winning the event in a time of 52.47 to narrowly miss his world-leading time of 52.39 set back in November. Jiang Chenglin, who set a best time of 53.99 at last year’s Chinese National Games, posted a time of 53.85 to earn the runner-up spot with a new PB.
• Closing out the night in the women’s 4×100 free relay, Zhejiang Shouxian Valley won the event going away in a time of 3:35.79 behind the team of Liu Yaxin (54.57), Fan Yaqi (54.29), Wu Qingfeng (53.54) and Yu Yiting (53.39).