Li Bingjie Hits World-Leading 4:02.52 in 400 Free To Open Chinese Nats

2017 Chinese National Championships

  • Monday, April 10 – Wednesday, April 19, 2017
  • Qingdao, China

Li Bingjie went 4:02.52 in the 400 free to lead the world ranks by a good three and a half seconds, while Sun Yang also hit a world-leading time on day 1 of Chinese Nationals.

Li blew out the field with a massive early-season swim. Her 4:02.52 won by more than three seconds and displaces Hungary’s Boglarka Kapas as the top time in the world for the 2016-2017 season. The latest young Chinese swimmer to blow up in domestic competition, Li could now find herself in the hunt for a World Championships medal if she can stay at this level or improve by August. Li competed at Junior Pan Pacs last summer and won the 400 free there. But her time this week is exactly five seconds faster than her winning time from last August (4:07.52).

2016-2017 LCM WOMEN 400 FREE

KatieUSA
LEDECKY
07/23
3.58.34
2Leah
SMITH
USA4.01.5407/23
3Bingjie
LI
CHN4.02.5204/10
4Sarah
KOHLER
GER4.03.9608/26
5Ariarne
TITMUS
AUS4.04.2607/23
View Top 26»

Sun, meanwhile, also jumped into the world lead in the 400 with his winning time. The 2012 Olympic champ and 2016 Olympic silver medalist in the event went 3:42.16, blowing out the field by six seconds and taking the top world ranks spot from Italy’s Gabriele Detti. Sun’s time is just a half-second off what he went in taking silver last summer in Rio.

2016-2017 LCM MEN 400 Free

SunCHN
YANG
07/23
3.41.38
2Gabriele
DETTI
ITA3.43.3604/04
3Mack
HORTON
AUS3.43.8507/23
4Felix
AUBOCK
AUT3.44.1907/23
5Tae Hwan
PARK
KOR3.44.3805/05
View Top 26»

The other massive swim came in the men’s 100 breast semifinal, where Yan Ziben broke a national record with a 58.92. That displaces the national record of 59.55 set by Li Xiang last summer in Rio. And on a continental scale, the 21-year-old Yan’s time is just .02 off of a pretty hallowed Asian record: 58.90 set by the legendary Kosuke Kitajima of Japan back in 2012. Yan now sits #2 worldwide and only a tenth behind world record-holder Adam Peaty of Great Britain. Yan will have a chance to lower that record in tomorrow’s final, where he’s up against Li (1:00.19 in semis) and former junior world record-holder Wang Lizhuo (1:00.04 in semis).

2016-2017 LCM MEN 100 BREAST

AdamGBR
PEATY
07/24
57.47
2Kevin
CORDES
USA58.6407/23
3Zibei
YAN
CHN58.9204/10
4Nicolo
MARTINENGHI
ITA59.01*WJR08/23
5Kirill
PRIGODA
RUS59.0507/24
View Top 26»

Other notable semifinals:

  • Lu Ying qualified first out of semifinals of the women’s 100 fly at 58.16, but the field is very tight behind her with Zhang Yufei going 58.28 and Zhou Yilin 58.56.
  • Li Zhuhao is the top qualifier out of semis in the men’s 50 fly at 23.53.
  • Wang Xinya leads the women’s 200 IM in 2:13.05, with junior world record-holder Zhou Min second in 2:13.47.

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NYJOHN
6 years ago

I hope Li Bingjie will be the first Chinese female prodigy freestyler who break the pattern.
In the past decade they had dozens of 13,14,15 yo girls going 4:04-4:06 and 8:20-8:25 only to inexplicably stop progressing.

NEWTOSWIMSWAM
Reply to  NYJOHN
6 years ago

It’s called puberty, which slows down most girls (some unfortunately never overcome) but makes boys stronger and faster.

SwimAsia
Reply to  NYJOHN
6 years ago

Because at some point training 16,000 meters everyday wears a body down…China: quantity > quality

Will
Reply to  NYJOHN
6 years ago

Totally agreed

NYJOHN
6 years ago

Interestingly, Chinese men have never medaled in 4×100 Medley, at Olympics and World Championships.

Budapest may be the first time they do it. Without Phelps in fly, USA will be vulnerable, but either GBR and AUS may even be weaker than last year to take that advantage. I know we have faith on Peaty, but I will be gobsmacked if he goes even faster or repeat Rio’s split.

NEWTOSWIMSWAM
Reply to  NYJOHN
6 years ago

They can’t medal without Ning in top form. Without Ning, free could be their weakest link.

IMs for days
6 years ago

Wow, Chinese swimming is not fooling around, loads of fast times. Also, after 2015 and 2016, is sun done with with the 1500, he seems to have switched his focus to the 200/400 double.

shouldbeanamehere
Reply to  IMs for days
6 years ago

He is focused on 200 and 400, but still swimming 1500.

Uberfan
6 years ago

That is a ridiculous time to put up at this time.

tea rex
6 years ago

Whoa, that breaststroker.

bobo gigi
6 years ago

Crazy fast times. As usual with Chinese on their home soil. Every year there are surprising things. And hopefully everybody is clean.
But I’m not shocked with Li Bingjie’s performance. Once again if you shine at junior pan pacs you have serious chances of shining later at the senior level. She won the 200 free, the 400 free and the 800 free at that meet last summer. I remember watching her swim very fast at 13 at Chartres world cup in 2015. Maybe she’s the next girl under 4 minutes. But there’s still a long way to go.
The Chinese men’s medley relay looks stronger and stronger with top swimmers on back (Xu Jiayu), breast (Yan Ziben), fly… Read more »

NEWTOSWIMSWAM
Reply to  bobo gigi
6 years ago

Speaking of Ning Zetao, does anyone know his status? He is off the Chinese national team; but why isn’t he swimming at this meet? Can’t imagine China wouldn’t allow him to defend his title at the Worlds.

shouldbeanamehere
Reply to  NEWTOSWIMSWAM
6 years ago

He scratched this meet himself. It is said that he will return to the pool this June.

vladislav22
6 years ago

Sun yang number 1!

Prickle
6 years ago

Sarah Sjostrom has beaten Cate Campbell’s record at 50 free.

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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