Qin Haiyang Breaks 50 Breast Asian Record With A 26.34, Becomes #5 Performer Of All-Time

2023 WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Chinese swimmer Qin Haiyang‘s streak of momentum is still alive and strong.

Just a day after winning gold and breaking the Asian record in the 100 breast, Qin rocketed to a 26.34 50 breast during the preliminary heats of the event to break an Asian record in a second event at the 2023 World Championships. In addition, he also becomes the fifth-fastest 50 breast performer of all-time with his swim.

The previous Asian record was held by Sun Jiajun, who clocked a 26.61 at the Chinese Spring Championships this March. Sun also swam in the 50 breast prelims at Worlds, clocking a 26.76 to qualify for semi-finals in third.

Qin’s best time headed into Worlds was a 26.63 from the 2023 Chinese Spring Championships.

All-Time Top Performers, Men’s 50-Meter Breaststroke:

  1. Adam Peaty, Great Britain — 25.95 (2017)
  2. Ilya Shymanovich, Belarus — 26.28 (2023)
  3. Felipa Lima, Brazil (2019)/Nicolo Martinenghi, Italy (2022) — 26.33
  4. Qin Haiyang, China (2023) — 26.34

Qin qualified for semi-finals as the top overall seed by a significant margin, being 0.3 seconds ahead of second seed Nicolo Martinenghi.

In the 100 breast, Qin was progressively faster throughout all three rounds—he swam a 58.26 in prelims, a 57.83 in semi-finals, and then a 57.64 in finals. In total, he dropped 0.62 seconds from prelims to finals. If Qin can see similar drops in the 50 breast, he could challenge Adam Peaty‘s world record time of 26.95, which he is currently 0.34 seconds away from.

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kevin
1 year ago

Most 50-100m breaststrokers or most sprinters like dressel are on PEDS. Look at kamminga and peaty, qin All not natty

Jasmine
1 year ago

Absolutely love his gorgeous technique!

chip
1 year ago

Qin’s old coach in the Navy was very “old school” (basically no weights) and wanted him to be a 400 IMer, which obviously was not to his strengths. Fortunately, he is training under Cui Dengrong now, who is more scientific. It’s just sad he wasted 6 years of his career.

Fukuoka Gold
1 year ago

Qin Haiyang has great technique and power.

He’ll make serious challenge to ZSC in 200.

elizabeth yang
1 year ago

Gorgeous, fluid technique!

‘Murica
1 year ago

Massive drops at 24 years old

Not suspicious at all

IM FAN
Reply to  ‘Murica
1 year ago

As an 18 year old in 2017 he swam 2:07.35 in the 200m breaststroke, a time that sHoUlD* be the WJR. He was a known hot prospect as a junior swimmer, but he seems to have struggled since 2017. I believe he has found his way to Zhang Yufei’s coach. Zhang also has had an interesting career trajectory, having been a very promising young talent who struggled to transition to the top stage bit was then able to reach her potential later.

I believe a big part of Zhang’s turnaround was her coach having her focus on the sprint instead of her bread and butter 200m fly. It appears Qin had had a similar change in focus too to… Read more »

eye guy
Reply to  IM FAN
1 year ago

You realize Yamaguchi swam a 2:07.01 at 17 in 2012, right?

Swim Alchemist
Reply to  eye guy
1 year ago

They didn’t county WJRs until like 2013.

So really depends on your definition of “should”.

Emily Se-Bom Lee
Reply to  eye guy
1 year ago

qin’s time is the fastest within the qualifying period

IM FAN
Reply to  eye guy
1 year ago

Hence the sHoUlD*

The 2:07.35 was never ratified, and like many WJRs the whole think looks stupid since yes Yamaguchi’s then WR swim is the “true” WJR anyway…

Fukuoka Gold
Reply to  ‘Murica
1 year ago

Americans:

Any foreign swimmers swimming fast must because PED

Nevermind Dressel with endless amounts of TUE, Dara Torres came back in advance age after dozens of years retired, obliterated AR and won Olympics medals, Amy van Dyken, Jessica Hardy immediately broke 50 breast WR right after her suspension ended, etc etc

Thomas Selig
Reply to  ‘Murica
1 year ago

now do Fink…

Fukuoka Gold
Reply to  Thomas Selig
1 year ago

But Fink is American…how dare you!

Joshua Liendo-Edwards-Smith
Reply to  ‘Murica
1 year ago

Nic Fink enters the chat lol

Milan
Reply to  Joshua Liendo-Edwards-Smith
1 year ago

I think there are legitimate questions to be asked here. Coming into 2023, most of the swimming community was of the belief that Peaty’s WR were amongst the least likely to be broken. Furthermore, coming into this year no one was predicting Qin to drop as much time as he has been (and continues) doing. For instance Peaty had a more gradual drop in time to get to the WR. I.e. 57:1 in Rio then 56:8 in 2019. Qin on the other hand is dropping insane amounts of time from his best in such a short period and at an age where normally swimmers do not unlock such vast improvements. Yes Fink did drop a 58:50 at us nationals in… Read more »

William
1 year ago

Peaty’s 50 WR on red alert here!

That was a casual 0.3 pb over the shortest distance in the heats from Qin.

The 200m WR is also not safe – considering traditionally this is Qin’s preferred event being the WJR in it!!

CJ A
1 year ago

3 tenth drop in a 50 is kinda crazy for a prelims swim

About Yanyan Li

Yanyan Li

Although Yanyan wasn't the greatest competitive swimmer, she learned more about the sport of swimming by being her high school swim team's manager for four years. She eventually ventured into the realm of writing and joined SwimSwam in January 2022, where she hopes to contribute to and learn more about …

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