Dong Zhihao Swims 2:08.47 200 Breast To Break His Own World Junior Record In 200 Breast

2023 WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

• July 23 to 30, 2023
• Fukuoka, Japan
• Marine Messe Fukuoka
• LCM (50m)
• WORLD CHAMPS WATCH PARTY – DAILY
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Entry Book
• Live Results (Omega)
• Day 1 Prelims Live Recap | Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Live Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Live Recap | Day 4 Finals Live Recap
• Day 5 Prelims Live Recap | Day 5 Finals Live Recap

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – SEMIFINALS

• World Record: Zac Stubblety-Cook, Australia – 2:05.95
• World Junior Record: Dong Zhihao, China – 2:08.83 (2023)
• Championship Record: Anton Chupkov, Russia – 2:06.12 (2019)
• 2022 World Champion: Zac Stubblety-Cook, Australia – 2:07.07
• 2022 Time to Final: 2:09.69

In the semi-finals of the men’s 200 breast at the 2023 World Championships, 18-year-old Dong Zhihao of China swam a time of 2:08.47 to break his own World Junior record. The previous World Junior record was his time of 2:08.83 from the Chinese Spring Championships this March.

Although Dong’s time is considered the official World Junior record, he is not the fastest junior of all-time in the event. Qin Haiyang went 2:08.71 and 2:07.35 when he was a junior swimmer, and Akihiro Yamaguchi holds the fastest junior time ever at Yamaguchi. Neither Qin nor Yamaguchi’s swims had been ratified by World Aquatics.

All-Time Fastest Junior Swims, Men’s 200-Meter Breaststroke:

1. Akhiro Yamaguchi, Japan — 2:07.01 (2012)
2. Qin Haiyang, China — 2:07.35 (2017)
3. Qin Haiyang, China — 2:08.71 (2017)
4. Dong Zhihao, China — 2:08.47 (2023)
5. Dong Zhihao, China — 2:08.83 (2023)

With his semi-finals swim, Dong qualified for finals as the fourth overall seed. He split his race 29.30/33.31/33.75/32.11, closing hard on the final 50 meters of his race. In fact, he had the fastest final in the entire semi-finals field.