2026 China Swimming Open: Day Four Finals Live Recap

2026 CHINA SWIMMING OPEN

• March 19th – March 22nd
• Longgang Universiade Center Natatorium, Shenzhen, China
• LCM (50m)
• Psych Sheets
• Results
• Livestream
• Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap/Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap/Day 3 Finals Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Recap

We are now onto the final day of the 2026 China Swimming Open in Shenzhen, and will see newly-minted 50 free World Record holder Cam McEvoy back in action.

He was the 4th-fastest swimmer in the 50 fly heats this morning in 23.56, behind Noe Ponti (23.13), Thomas Ceccon (23.22) and Kyle Chalmers (23.37). After blasting a time of 20.88 in the 50 free final to shave three hundredths off Cesar Cielo‘s 2009World Record, he could have the 23-second barrier in his sights.

Yu Zidi will be back in action in the 200 IM. She will face off with American Alex Walsh as well as her compatriot Yu Yiting, but Kate Douglass scratched out of the final after placing 4th in the heats.

Douglass will instead swim the 50 fly, where Gretchen Walsh is the favorite after swimming 25.21 this morning, while Lani Pallister is the top seed in the 400 free in 4:05.87.

 MEN’S 50 FLY – FINAL

• Asian Record – Joseph Schooling (SGP), 22.93, 2017
• Chinese Record – Wang Changhao, 23.25, 2023

GOLD – Noe Ponti (SUI) – 22.97

SILVER – Kyle Chalmers (AUS) – 23.00

BRONZE – Thomas Ceccon (ITA) – 23.01 

Cam McEvoy got out to another fast start and led for 48 of the 50 meters, but missed out on the podium in a thrilling finish that saw the top four swimmers separated by just 0.08 seconds.

Noe Ponti got his hand to the wall first as the only man under 23 seconds, touching 0.03 ahead of Kyle Chalmers in 22.97. Chalmers was only a hundredth ahead of Thomas Ceccon for third, with McEvoy 0.04 seconds back in a new PB of 23.05. He knocks 0.02 seconds off the 23.07 he swam at the 2023 Australian Trials.

For Chalmers this was his 3rd-fastest swim ever, behind a pair of 22.89s from last year. McEvoy moves up into a tie for the 5th-fastest Australian in the event with Ben Armbruster.

All four men move up in the world rankings this season to sit within the top ten. Ponti moves up to second, Chalmers in third, Ceccon in joint-fourth and McEvoy to sixth.

Xu Fang was 5th in 23.58 as the top domestic athlete, 0.01 seconds ahead of Chen Juner in 6th.

Women’s 50 Fly – Final

• Asian Record – Zhang Yufei (CHN), 25.05, 2023
• Chinese Record – Zhang Yufei, 25.05, 2023

GOLD – Gretchen Walsh (USA) – 25.12

SILVER – Kate Douglass (USA) – 25.34

BRONZE – Yu Yiting (CHN)/Wang Yichan – 25.94

Gretchen Walsh defended her top seed from this morning, improving her season best by 0.06 seconds in the process. She touched the wall in 25.12 to take the win over Kate Douglass by 0.22 seconds.

Douglass did set a new PB for silver though, slicing 0.05 seconds off the 25.39 she swam at the Fort Lauderdale stop of the Pro Swim Series last year. She now moves up from joint-20th to 18th in the all-time rankings.

Yu Yiting, on the front half of a double with the 200 IM, tied for third with compatriot Wang Yichan in 25.94, while Asian Record holder Zhang Yufei was shut out of the medals in 25.95, just 0.01 behind Yu and Wang.

Walsh and Douglass are now the top two swimmers in the world this year, as Douglass takes the #2 spot from Aussie Alex Perkins by a tenth of a second.

MEN’S 200 BACK – FINAL

• Asian Record – Ryosuke Irie (JPN), 1:52.51, 2009
• Chinese Record – Xu Jiayu, 1:53.99, 2018

GOLD – Pieter Coetze (RSA) – 1:55.7

SILVER – Wang Ziming (CHN) – 1:57.26

BRONZE – Tao Guannan (CHN) – 1:58.01

Pieter Coetze was out like a shot, flipping in 26.07 at the first 50. He extended his lead through the second 50, hitting the halfway point in 55.10, not too much slower than the 54.48 he turned in at the 2025 World Championships when he set his African Record of 1:53.36.

He fell off that pace a little on the second half of the race, splitting 29.92/30.55 to take the win in 1:55.57. He now slots in as the 4th-fastest swimmer in the world this year, overtaking the 1:56.07 that Jon Shortt swam at the Giant Open yesterday.

Silver medalist Wang Ziming, just 18 years old, roared home in 28.75 for the fastest final 50 in the field by over a second. Tao Guannan also broke 30 seconds on the way home, splitting 29.92, but couldn’t hold off the youngster. Ziming slots in at #12 on the above world rankings this season.

Of note, top seed Thomas Ceccon scratched the final in favor of the 50 fly a little earlier on this session.

WOMEN’S 100 BACK – FINAL

• Asian Record – Aya Terakawa (JPN), 58.70, 2013
• Chinese Record – Fu Yunhai, 58.72, 2017

GOLD – Regan Smith (USA) – 57.91

SILVER – Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) – 58.64

BRONZE – Wan Letian (CHN) – 59.53

Regan Smith got out in front, hitting the 50m mark in 28.45, but had Mollie O’Callaghan close behind in 28.58. Smith pulled away down the stretch, breaking 58 seconds yet again in 57.91 to lower her season best by 0.07 seconds.

O’Callaghan stayed in touch, splitting 30.06 to Smith’s 29.46 on the second 50 to touch in 58.64 for silver. That is her fifth-fastest swim ever in the event, and the fastest she has been since the 2024 Australian Trials where she swam 57.88. She moves up to third in the world this season.

Wan Letian was the top domestic swimmer, edging Peng Xuwei by just 0.06 seconds in 59.53 as the only other swimmers to break the 1:00 barrier.

MEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

• Asian Record – Wang Shun (CHN), 1:54.62, 2023
• Chinese Record – Wang Shun, 1:54.62, 2023

GOLD  – William Petric (AUS) – 1:57.53

SILVER – Wang Shun (CHN) – 1:58.57

BRONZE – Xie Yichen (CHN) – 1:58.74

It as home favorite and Asian Record hodler Wang Shun who had the best start in this race, leading at the 50 and hitting halfway in 55.13, over half a second ahead of Lane 4’s William Petric‘s 55.79.

The Australian swimmer had a stronger breaststroke leg, splitting 33.98 as one of only two sub-34 legs in the field, and with 50 to go Wang and Petric were separated by a mere 0.02 seconds.

Petric had the better of the early going on the freestyle leg, showing the strength that saw him post a big new PB of 1:46.14 in the 200 free earlier this week, and pulled away to touch more than a second ahead the field in 1:57.53.

Wang hit the wall in 1:58.57 to just about hold off Xie Yichen, who closed in 27.87 to Wang’s 28.82. Petric had the fastest final 50 in the field in 27.76.

Both Wang (1:56.20) and Petric (1:57.18) have been faster already this season, and rank 4th and 6th respectively in the season rankings.

WOMEN’S 200 IM – FINAL

• Asian Record – Yu Zidi (CHN), 2:07.41, 2025
• Chinese Record – Yu Zidi, 2:07.41, 2025

GOLD  – Yu Zidi (CHN) – 2:09.01

SILVER – Yu Yiting (CHN) – 2:09.09

BRONZE – Alex Walsh (USA) – 2:10.90

Yu Yiting, fresh from taking bronze in the 50 fly at the start of the session, got out to an early lead with a split of 27.32 on the fly leg, over half a second ahead of Alex Walsh (27.92) and Yu Zidi (28.00),and edged even further ahead as she hit halfway in 1:00.35, nearly a second ahead of Yu ZIdi in 1:00.35.

The gap barely closed on the breaststroke leg, but Yu Zidi inched her way towards the front on the final 50 before edging past in the last few meters to take the win by 0.08 seconds in 2:09.01, splitting 29.91 on the way home to Yu Yiting‘s 30.78.

Alex Walsh stayed in 3rd place through the second half of the race, touching in 2:10.90. She swam a field-best 37.87 on the breaststroke leg.

All three women have been faster already this season, with Yu Zidi leading the season rankings with the 2:07.41 she swam at the Chinese National Games which stands as the Asian Record.

WOMEN’S 400 FREE – FINAL

• Asian Record – Li Bingjie (CHN), 3:58.21, 2025
• Chinese Record – Li Bingjie, 3:58.21, 2025

GOLD  – Lani Pallister (AUS) – 4:00.61

SILVER – Li Bingjie (CHN) – 4:03.15

BRONZE – Yang Peiqi (CHN) – 4:04.30

Lani Pallister led wire to wire to close off the women’s events on the final day, touching in 4:00.61 to lower her season best by 1.87 seconds. She took the win by 2.54 seconds over Asian Record Holder Li Bingjie, who nearly even split her race in 2:01.54/2:01.61.

Pallister blasted out in 1:58.43 as the only swimmer under 2:00 at halfway, before closing in 2:02.18. Yang and Lie were locked in a battle of their own, before Li pulled away on the final 50 to wrap up silver.

All three women on the podium came home under 30 seconds on the final 50: Yang in 29.36, Li in 28.54, and Pallister in 29.63.

MEN’S 800 FREE – FASTEST HEAT

• Asian Record – Zhang Lin (CHN), 7:32.12, 2009
• Chinese Record – Zhang Lin, 7:32.12, 2009

GOLD  – Zhang Ahznshuo (CHN) – 7:44.45

SILVER – Lukas Maertens (GER) – 7:46.97

BRONZE – Li Chengyu (CHN) – 7:57.65

Zhang Zhanshuo capped of a fantastic week for him with his fourth PB of the week, notching a time of 7:44.45 to take the win in the 800 free. Germany’s Lukas Maertens, the 2025 world bronze medalist, was 2nd in 7:46.97, with Li Chengyu un 3rd in 7:57.65.

Zhang and Maertens were in close proximity for the whole race, with Maertens hitting halfway slightly ahead 3:53.96 to 3:54.08. The gap stayed small between tha pair right until the final 50, with Zhang leading in 7:19.50 to Maerten’s 7:19.63.

Zhang roared home in a scarcely believable 24.95, powered by an incredible final underwater. That would certainly be the fastest closing split in history in an 800 free, and outsplit Maertens by 2.39 seconds with German splitting 27.34.

Zhang improves his #2 time in the world by 2.24 seconds, while Maertens moves up into 3rd after not cracking the top 25 so far this season.

Pan Zhanle swam in the early heats, notching a time of 7:57.92 that nearly made the podium, but ended up 4th.