Chen Juner is a Chinese butterfly swimmer. He is a SCM World Junior Record holder, the SC Chinese Record holder, and LCM Chinese Record holder in the 200 fly.
Junior Swimming
2022 Chinese SC Swimming Championships (Beijing, China)
On day 2 of the 2022 Chinese SC Swimming Championships, Chen had a massive swim. While Chen had an excellent fall a year prior, he had shown little of that form for the remainder of the 2021-22 season. So it was a bit of a surprise when Chen popped a World Junior Record in the 200 fly (SCM). His 1:49.61 overtook’s Eddie Wang’s 2020 mark of 1:49.89 and the Chinese NR of 1:50.39 set by Li Zhuhao in 2018. It also ranked him #10 all-time worldwide and #4 in Asia. Chen also put up solid times of 22.72 and 49.95 in the 50 and 100 flies respectively.
National/International Swimming
2020(1) Olympic Team Trials (Qingdao, China)
While Chen won the 200 fly in a solid 1:56.77, he missed the FINA ‘A’ cut by .29 seconds. He was also 3rd in the 100 fly with a 52.87.
2022 FINA World Championships (Budapest, Hungary)
Juner was part of the 2022 Worlds roster leaked to social media and his position was later officially confirmed. Although he entered the meet as the 6th fastest in the world for the season in the 200 fly with a 1:54.61 from the Chinese National games in fall 2021, Chen missed making even the semis with a 1:58.31 for 24th. The 100 fly was a similarly poor showing with a 52.91 for 29th, about a second off his best of 51.94 from the 2021 National Games.
2022 FINA SC World Championships (Melbourne, Australia)
Chen swam the 100 and 200 fly plus multiple relays. He just missed out on 2nd swims in both of his individual events, placing 18th in the 100 fly (50.83) and 9th in the 200 fly (1:51.24). He also swam fly on both of the 7th-place Chinese medley relays.
2023 Chinese Spring Nationals (Qingdao, China)
Spring Nationals marked 1 of 2 Worlds qualifying opportunities in China. Chen had a PB 22.44 50 free for silver. He then took bronze in the 100 fly in 51.88 by the slimmest margin begins Wang Changhao (51.45) and Sun Jiajun (51.87). In the 50 fly, he took silver with a 23.40, right being Wang’s new NR of 23.25. Chen’s showstopper came in his signature 200 fly, where he threw down a new PB of 1:54.58 Chen also put up an impressive 48.58 for 2nd.
2023 Chinese National Championships (Hangzhou, China)
At the second Worlds qualifying meet, Chen took on a similar lineup to Spring Nationals. He opened with a 48.94 100 free for 3rd behind Pan Zhanle’s new Asian Record of 47.22. Then, he put up a 22.64 50 free, putting him well off the podium. Chen settled for bronze again behind the same pair as Spring Nationals with a mirrored 51.88. He similarly took bronze in the 50 fly with a 23.70.
Chen Closed out his meet with a bang. In the 200 fly, Chen ripped a lifetime best of 1:54.16 for the gold, beating out Niu Guangsheng and Wang Xizhe in the process. His performance overtook the longstanding national record of 1:54.35, a time Wu Peng logged over a decade ago at the 2008 Olympic Games. The now 35-year-old Wu has been engaged in a comeback and was actually racing at Nationals, placing 5th in the 50m fly earlier in the meet.
2023 World Aquatics Championships (Fukuoka, Japan)
Chen and the rest of the Chinese 400 free relay just missed a medal with a 3:11.38 for 4th. The race was not in vain, as the squad broke their national record and blazed a new Asian record ahead of the Asian Games in the fall. Chen, for his part, split 47.85 on the 2nd leg. He missed 2nd swims in both of his individual races, putting up a 23.79 for 35th in the 50 fly and a 1:56.87 for 19th in the 200 fly. His best 200 fly would have easily made the final.
2023 World University Games (Chengdu, China)
Returning home, Chen immediately competed at the World University Game. He opened with the 50 fly where he moved through prelims with a 23.59 and semis with a 23.48, both good for 4th. In the final, he remained 4th and put up a 23.46. Chen led the 200 fly prelims with a 1:58.05 and crushed a 1:56.71 in semis for the top seed into the final. He fell 2 spots in the final with a 1:56.16 for a bronze after fading hard on the final 50. He missed another bronze, anchoring the 400 free relay in 47.74, the only 47 in the field, as the team took 4th.
Chen moved through the 100 fly prelims with a 52.65 then led semis in a new PB time of 51.73. Then, he won another medal leading off the mixed 400 free relay in 48.40 as the squad claimed gold. Chen missed the podium in the 100 fly by just .06 while his semis time would have taken silver. Chen took a second relay Gold, splitting 51.37 on the fly leg of the 400 medley relay.
2022(3) Asian Games (Hangzhou, China)
On the penultimate day of swimming, Chen was a 48.00 on the 2nd leg of the 400 free relay. That squad of Pan Zhanle, Chen, Hong Jinquan, and Wang Haoyu combined to produce a winning effort of 3:10.88. In doing so, the foursome knocked half a second off of the previous Chinese national and Asian continental record of 3:11.38 notched at this year’s World Championships.
The next night, he ended up with a bronze in the 200 fly, clocking a 1:56.04.
