Jack Alexy Leads Cam McEvoy in Heats of Men’s 50 Free at China Swimming Open

2026 CHINA SWIMMING OPEN

• March 19th – March 22nd
• Longgang Universiade Center Natatorium, Shenzhen, China
• LCM (50m)
• Psych Sheets
• Results
• Livestream
• Day 1 Finals Recap

China’s Peng Xuwei popped a 2:09.38 in the 200 back prelims and the American sprint crew shook off jetlag to take the top seeds in both 50 frees on Friday morning in China.

Big money is on the line in Shenzhen. Winners of each race get $10,000, runners-up get $8,000, and 3rd place finishers receive $6,000.

Peng, 23, was a member of China’s World Championship team last year, finishing 4th in the 200 back

She outpaced American Regan Smith in the heats. Smith qualified 2nd in 2:10.00 in what looked like a comfortable early swim for the Worlds silver medalist.

Both swimmers split the race similarly on the front half. Smith had the better third 50, but it was Peng’s closing length that made the difference between the two.

The Americans grabbed poll positions in both 50 freestyles in heats. On the men’s side, Jack Alexy beat out the World Champion Cam McEvoy of Australia 21.91 to 22.08 from separate heats. Kyle Chalmers was 3rd in 22.37 and South Africa’s Pieter Coetze was 4th in 22.43.

On the women’s side of that event, Gretchen Walsh took the top spot in 24.45 just ahead of China’s Cheng Yujie in 24.47. Those two were racing head-to-head in the 8th heat.

Kate Douglass was the 3rd qualifier in 24.76 ahead of Australian Shayna Jack in 24.78: another close prelims heat separated by .02 seconds.

A star-studded field will include China’s Wu Qingfeng in 24.83 and Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey in 24.89.

Douglass later cleared the field handily in the 200 breaststroke prelims with a 2:22.48. The second-best in prelims was 14-year-old Hu Qianhe in 2:26.82, about half-a-second off her best time.

South Africa’s Kaylene Corbett and American Alex Walsh lurk further down the rankings with prelims times of 2:28.28 and 2:28.55, respectively; they will be the 4th and 5th seeds in the final. Corbett was the bronze medalist at the World Championships.

Other Day 2 Prelims Notables

• Two Australian women sit at the top of the women’s 200 free after prelims. Lani Pallister, who tends longer from this race, qualified 1st in 1:57.65, while the World Record holder Mollie O’Callaghan, who tends shorter from this race, qualified 2nd in 1:57.99. They’re chased into finals by heat 7 winner Li Jiaping, who qualified 3rd in 1:58.04. Of note: newly-turned-15-year-old Chinese swimmer Fan Yaqi made the final after a 1:59.20 in heats. She has been as fast as 1:57.55.
• South Africa’s Pieter Coetze outsplit Italy’s Thomas Ceccon 54.63 to 54.95 in heats of the men’s 100 back. They were the top two seeds entering the meet in the opposite order. China is without their top backstrokers at this meet, but teenager Wang Ziming did qualify 3rd in 54.97.
• China’s Qiu Tian led prelims of the men’s 100 breaststroke in a new personal best of 1:00.09.