Fu Yuanhui Swims World-Leading 50 Backstroke at Chinese Championships

Liu Xiang

2018 CHINESE CHAMPIONSHIPS & ASIAN GAMES SELECTION

  • Friday, April 13 – Wednesday, April 18, 2018
  • Shanxi Sports Center Swimming Pool, Shanxi, China
  • Full results

Swimming on Day 3 of the 2018 Chinese National Championships and Asian Games selection meet, Sun Yang won his 3rd individual event title of the meet. After earlier wins in the 200 free (1:46.07) and 800 free (7:50.47) on days 1 and 2, respectively, Sun added a 3:44.29 in the 400 free to win that event as well.

Only his chief rival Mack Horton of Australia (3:43.76 from the Commonwealth Games) and Sun himself (3:41.94 from September’s National Games of China) have been faster so far this year.

2017-2018 LCM MEN 400 FREE

SunCHN
YANG
09/01
3.41.94
2Mack
HORTON
AUS3.43.7604/05
3Jack
McLOUGHLIN
AUS3.44.2008/11
4Mykhaylo
ROMANCHUK
UKR3.45.1808/03
5James
GUY
GBR3.45.3204/05
View Top 26»

Sun has generally been a fast opener in this race on an international scale, but his swim on Sunday was even more unbalanced to the front-end than normal: he swam 1:51.3 in his first 200, and 1:52.9 on his 2nd 100. When he’s fully rested, his spread is usually under a second, and was just 4-tenths when he won this race at last year’s World Championships.

In the session-opening women’s 50 back, Fu Yuanhui took silver in 27.16, which is just short of the time she went for that silver at Worlds last year. She and runner-up Liu Xiang now have the two fastest times in the world this season in the event.

2017-2018 LCM WOMEN 50 BACK

XiangCHN
LIU
08/21
26.98*WR
2Yuanhui
FU
CHN27.1604/15
3Georgia
DAVIES
GBR27.2108/04
4Anastasia
FESIKOVA
RUS27.2308/04
5Mimosa
JALLOW
FIN27.4208/04
View Top 26»

After finishing 6th in the 50 free at Worlds last year, Liu has supplanted Wan Xueer (4th on Sunday in 27.67) as the country’s #2 swimmer in this 50 backstroke. She’ll also swim the 50 free later in the meet.

After that, the men’s spring group, which has continued to struggle in the recent absence of former World Champion Ning Zetao, saw Yu Hexin win the 50 free in 22.14, followed by Zhao Xianjian in 22.54. At Worlds last year, Yu was China’s top finisher in this race – in just 22.41 – and only entrant in the 100 free – for 26th place. Those times will stack up much better in an Asian field, where sprint freestyle is usually not the specialty, but remains an area of weakness for China.

World Junior Record holder Qin Haiyang won the men’s 200 breaststroke in 2:09.40. 24-year old Mao Feilan, the country’s other representative to Worlds last year, isn’t racing at this week’s trials, which leaves the 2nd spot in this 200 to Yan Zibei.

Top 3 Finishers

Women’s 50 back

  1. Fu Yuanhui – 27.16
  2. Liu Xiang – 27.40
  3. Chen Jie – 27.60

Men’s 50 free

  1. Yu Hexin – 22.14
  2. Zhao Xianjian – 22.54
  3. He Junyi – 22.60

Women’s 400 IM

  1. Zhou Min – 4:43.25
  2. Yang Chang – 4:48.26
  3. Zhang Chenyao – 4:48.98

Men’s 200 breaststroke

  1.  Qin Haiyang – 2:09.40
  2. Yan Zibei – 2:10.76
  3. Shen Hao – 2:11.92

Women’s 100 fly

  1. Zhang Yuxi – 58.78
  2. Lin Xinyi – 59.16
  3. Wang Yijun – 59.70

Men’s 400 free

  1. Sun Yang – 3:44.29
  2. Ji Xinjie – 3:49.25
  3. Wang Yifan – 3:53.07

Women’s 800 free relay

  1. Hebei Taihua – 8:00.73
  2. Shandong Haosha – 8:08.14
  3. Zheijang – 8:09.72

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DavidWoo
6 years ago

Ning Zetao is not retired. He’ll compete in the summer nationals in June. He wasnt qualified to compete in the April nationals because he didn’t swim the early spring nationals

EmFang
6 years ago

Transliteration errors:
Zhang Yufei – 58.78(not Zhang Yuxi)
Lin Xintong – 59.16(not Lin Xinyi)
Wang Yichun – 59.70(not Wang Yijun)

Yozhik
6 years ago

For those who are interested in China National Championships results before swimswam.com publishes them.
http://search.china.org.cn/hlftiweb/en/index.jsp
Make a search for ‘National Championships swimming results’

EmFang
Reply to  Yozhik
6 years ago
EmFang
Reply to  Yozhik
6 years ago

You can search the results in “查询成绩公告”P.S.自由泳=freestyle 蛙泳=breaststroke 蝶泳=butterfly 仰泳=backstroke 个人混合泳=individual medley

Yozhik
6 years ago

In 2015 in Kazan Fu Yuanhui was that close to eliminate one of the last rubber suite record in women swimming. Almost three years later she is still that close. Was she injured or had some other health issues?

Brownish
Reply to  Yozhik
6 years ago

There are 89 swimswam articles i.a. about her from 2012 till today.

Yozhik
Reply to  Brownish
6 years ago

Nice talking to the person who’s read 89 articles about Fu Yuanhui. 😀
If you just say that in 2016 she had left shoulder injury it will be even nicer.
http://www.china.org.cn/china/Off_the_Wire/2018-04/15/content_50887304.htm

Brownish
Reply to  Yozhik
6 years ago

I didn’t see that she injured her left shoulder in 2016, perhaps it could be happened.
https://www.swimrankings.net/index.php?page=athleteDetail&athleteId=4774418&styleId=9

Pvdh
Reply to  Brownish
6 years ago

Great answer. Really learned a lot from it.

Rumbuns
Reply to  Yozhik
6 years ago

I’m not sure, but I don’t think Fu was injured in that period. I think it speaks more to the finicky nature of records and personal bests in general. Grevers has always been candid about his desire to break the 100 back WR. He’s been knocking on the door with 52 lows multiple times but putting together that special, transcendent race is never guaranteed.

EmFang
Reply to  Yozhik
6 years ago

Yes, her left shoulder is seriously injured.

EmFang
Reply to  Yozhik
6 years ago

This is what she said in the interview 3 days ago:”受伤的肩膀还不能用力游,只有另外一只手可以用力,没有力气,没有体力去完成比赛。现在自己也请不起队医,运动员早晚都要面对这一天的(The injured shoulder can’t swim hard. Only the other hand can use it hard. I don’t have the strength to finish the game. Now I can’t afford a team doctor myself. Sooner or later, athletes will face this day.)。”

Yozhik
6 years ago

Didn’t Olivia Smoliga swim 27.40 yesterday?

BSD
Reply to  Yozhik
6 years ago

27.43

Yozhik
Reply to  BSD
6 years ago

27.40 was reported by swimswam yesterday. https://swimswam.com/2018-tyr-pro-swim-series-mesa-day-3-finals-live-recap/
Probably was a typo.

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Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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