Xin Xin is a Chinese distance swimmer, born in Shandong on November 6 1996. In 2012 she qualified for the Olympics at 15-years-old. At the Chinese Trials she clocked in the world’s second ranked time in the 800 meters freestyle and cleared the FINA “A” standard by over 10 seconds.
2012 Olympic Games
After a breakout swim at the Chinese Trials, the young swimmer was not able to translate at the Olympic games. She finished 24th in the heats and added 18 seconds on to her time from earlier in the year.
Switching to Open Water
Xin made the decision to move from the pool to the open water. China’s success in the pool wasn’t mirrored by the success in open water, with no one from the country qualifying for the Games in London. But Xin had the ability to change the countries poor success in the event in Rio. She booked her spot to the Games after a tough battle in the qualifying marathon event in Portugal in June 2016. Xin touched for gold just 8 tenths of a second ahead of Britains Keri-Anne Payne to punch her ticket.
2016 Olympic Games
In Rio, Xin finished 4th in the 10k, just missing out on a medal, but placing very high for her first major open water event.
2017 World Championships
At the 2017 World Champs, Xin finished 17th in the women’s 10k.
2019 World Championships
In Gwangju at the World Champs, Xin started things off with a bang, winning the 10k by nearly a full second ahead of American Haley Anderson. This not only netted her China’s first Open Water gold at a world champs, but also a spot on China’s 2020 Olympic roster.
