Qin Haiyang: “Have You Heard Of The Lane 8 Miracle?” (Worlds Day Six Flash Quotes)

2025 World Championships

• July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
• Singapore, Singapore
• World Aquatics Championships Arena
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• How To Watch
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• Entry Book
• Live Results
• Live Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5| Day 6
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6

Day six of the 2025 World Championships is in the books and we saw multiple head-turning races to turn the tide of the swimming medal table.

Kate Douglass powered her way to victory in the women’s 200m breaststroke, clocking a new American record and Championship record of 2:18.50. That represented the #2 performance of all time.

Her outing helped the U.S. overtake Australia in the swimming medal table with two days of competition remaining.

Hubert Kos of Hungary denied 100m backstroke world champion Pieter Coetze (RSA) a double gold, while Qin Haiyang of China delivered a gold medal-worthy effort in the men’s 200m breaststroke.

Add in the Netherlands’ first gold here, courtesy of Marrit Steenbergen, as well as GBR’s first medal, a gold, in the men’s 4x200m free and we can call tonight one of the most fantastic of the competition.

WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – FINAL

• World Record: 51.71, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 2017
• World Junior Record: 52.70, Penny Oleksiak (CAN) – 2016
• Championship Record: 51.71, Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 2017
• 2023 World Champion: Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 52.16
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 52.16

1. Marrit Steenbergen (NED), 52.55
2. Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS), 52.67
3. Torri Huske (USA), 52.89
4. Milou van Wijk (NED), 52.91
5. Daria Klepikova (NAB), 52.98
6. Beryl Gastaldello (FRA), 53.30
7. Cheng Yujie (CHN), 53.34
8. Sara Curtis (ITA), 53.41

Flash Quotes

GOLD – Marrit STEENBERGEN (NED)

On retaining the title:  

“It feels so crazy. In this field, again, I don’t know what to feel, I’m just so happy. 

On the field: 

“After the relay, I knew I was in a good shape. But I was getting more nervous throughout the week. Tonight, I was feeling it a bit, I just tried to keep myself calm. To race the girls here, it’s always like, I want to win, but they’re so good, you know? I just tried to do my best and that’s what I tried to think about.” 

On seeing the results: 

“I was just, I don’t know, relieved… happy. I think I felt all the emotions at the same time. When I turned around at first I saw the light, and I was like, OK, this still can be (the) number two place. I was so happy when I saw that (it) was first.”

On the race: 

“I was at 75 when I saw I was slightly ahead, but I knew Mollie just goes so fast in that second 50, and I felt like I was getting tired, so it’s like okay, just keep going, keep going. I tried not to look at her, so it was just at the finish that I knew for sure that I had her.”

On the difficulty of getting back in the pool after Paris: 

“After Paris, it was a bit difficult, so I took a small break. So just to come back faster and stronger than I was, was a bit tough sometimes, but I feel like I got better after it. The break was just something good for me.

“Swimming is just a lot of training. We’re like, week in, week out, every day. It’s a bit tough, because you want to combine it with a social life, maybe studying. So I feel like after the Olympics, it’s always like that four years you’ve trained, you want to take a break to enjoy life outside of swimming. So I think a lot of swimmers just have that couple of months to enjoy and then get back into shape again.

On what the title means: 

“It means that I think I’m just getting back to where I want to be to race here. At the beginning of the season, I was like, okay, I want to make worlds again, because I don’t know how my shape was going to be. Just to be here in the final and now to win, it’s crazy. I did not expect that after the Olympics.

“I hope I can be at this shape in three years. You know, a lot can happen. There can be new swimmers. There are other swimmers that maybe didn’t compete tonight, so we’ll see what happens. It’s still three years away, but it’s a good starting point.”

SILVER – Mollie O’CALLAGHAN (AUS)

On how she feels after the meet:

“Tired, very tired. I’ve been coming off last night and like I’ve said a thousand times, I haven’t had the greatest preparation towards this and to do what I did tonight and last night and the nights before, I’m pretty proud.

“To be on the podium is something special and I’m always grateful for that. Obviously, I would love to win, everyone would love to win, and that’s what I could do tonight, so I’m pretty happy.” 

On fatigue building through the week:

“Oh, absolutely. I’d be a superhuman if I said there wasn’t. I’ve had the heaviest programme in the Australian team, so I’ve had to really get my act together as best as I could this week. I’ve got another few relays, which is exciting. It’s nice to finish off with relays and for that, hopefully I can pick myself up again, get a flush, cool down and get going again.”

On comparing Singapore 2025 to Paris 2024:

“Obviously I was disappointed with Paris because I didn’t think that’s what I was capable of doing, but the Olympics are a beast like no other. You don’t have comfort like worlds. Worlds, you get treated like a queen. Olympics, it’s kind of like you’re shipped on a bus for an hour and a half. It’s not very high performance.

“You know what you sign up for at the Olympics. Again, at the Olympics, it was only two of us who did that 200 free and it’s never been done before, the 200 and the 100, so it just proves how hard it is to back up from that. I think, especially this week, it’s a hard thing to compare against two different things, two different stages, two different reps, two different competitions. I feel I did all I could do on those days, and I’m pretty happy about that.”

BRONZE – Torri HUSKE (USA)

On her Singapore 2025 campaign:

“It was definitely a rocky start, and I never had such a rollercoaster of a meet before, but I’m really proud of not just that swim but my prelims and semis as well, and that I was able to get back to normal. So I was really proud about that.”

MEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 2:05.48, Qin Haiyang (CHN) – 2023
• World Junior Record: 2:06.91, Shin Ohashi (JPN) – 2025
• Championship Record: 2:05.48, Qin Haiyang (CHN) – 2023
• 2023 World Champion: Qin Haiyang (CHN), 2:05.48
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Leon Marchand (FRA), 2:05.85

1. Qin Haiyang (CHN), 2:07.41
2. Ippei Watanabe (JPN), 2:07.70
3. Caspar Corbeau (NED), 2:07.73
4. Kirill Prigoda (NAB), 2:07.99
5. AJ Pouch (USA), 2:09.13
6. Yamato Fukasawa (JPN), 2:09.21
7. Carles Coll Marti (ESP), 2:09.44
8. (DSQ) – Aleksandr Zhigalov (NAB)

Flash Quotes

GOLD – QIN Haiyang (CHN)

On the result: 

“That’s so amazing. Have you heard of the Lane 8 miracle? You saw it tonight.” 

On winning from Lane 8: 

“I did think about this happening. I mentioned yesterday that my form is not at my peak, and I still need to strategise my races more. But I didn’t think too much about it today. Making the final is already a good result for me, so I just came and gave it my all.

“Swimming in Lane 8… you don’t feel as much pressure. You can’t see many of the other swimmers, and you can focus more on what you want to do.” 

On what the result proves: 

“I don’t think this is enough. For me, what’s more important than a gold medal is to be able to have a good result. Before I came to Singapore, I wanted to swim a 2:07, or 2:06. Today’s result is still the best I’ve done this year. It’s a small improvement, but it’s still something I should be proud of.

“Even if I didn’t win a medal today, I know I’ve done what I can, brought the best of what I have now to the pool. But even if I didn’t get a medal, I wouldn’t have written myself off just because of that.” 

On his mental strength: 

“I think I’ve handled the pressure best at this meet than at previous ones. I didn’t think too much. After all, I’ve been through so much. This experience is inevitable – we all have to go through something like this in order to mature.”

 On his training paying off: 

“That’s for sure. We have great coaches and I have no doubt that their methods work.” 

On being on the podium for all three individual events, and what it means: 

“This time, compared to Fukuoka… you can’t say I feel prouder… I feel that it really hasn’t been easy for me to do it this time. In the past, I always feel there’s room for improvement. Now, I’m better at encouraging myself. In the past, I would say there’s room for improvement, but this time, I can give myself a 100 out of 100. I should rest well after this.”

On his Singapore 2025 campaign: 

“I’ve gained from this competition experience. The pressure here wasn’t less than before. The competition was very stiff here. What I’ve done best here is take this pressure on well. That was truly the hardest thing I faced here. When a person faces challenges, it’s natural to want to run away and hide form it. In this respect, I think I’ve done well.” 

On being emotional after the win: 

“This gold medal probably means more to us as a team than to me personally. I may be the world record holder in this event, and I have more confidence to defend this title. But to be able to defend this title… the glory that comes with keeping it for the team, means more to me.” 

On Singapore being a happy hunting ground: 

“I’m someone who believes in these. It’s a lucky place for me, and I do think that gives me more confidence.” 

SILVER – Ippei WATANABE (JPN)

On Winning a Medal:

“It’s my first medal in six years. I thought I would be happier, but all I feel is frustration. Honestly, I could have won. It was a race I had to win. QIN Haiyang didn’t look like he was in particularly good shape, to be honest, but he made it into the final in the outside lane, finishing 8th in the semifinals, and I found that unsettling. I figured he would go all-out from lane 8 in a do-or-die kind of race, and while I was focused on swimming my own race, losing to QIN is what frustrates me most.

“Honestly, if it had been someone like the American swimmer (Aj POUCH), the NAB swimmers (Aleksandr ZHIGALOV and Kirill PRIGODA), or the Dutch swimmer (Casper CORBEAU) —swimmers who looked in good shape—and if they had beaten me with better-than-expected times, I think I could have accepted the silver medal more easily. But losing to QIN’s 2:07.4 makes this a silver medal that’s hard to accept.”

On preparation for the Worlds:

“Since the nationals, I hadn’t had many chances to train for the 200m, especially with most of the practice being in short-course pools, so I do think there was a lack of preparation compared to previous years. I came into this competition with those concerns. I raced aggressively in the heats to shake off that uncertainty, and that may have contributed to how fatigued I felt today. I do feel like there are things I could have done differently.”

On his fewer strokes and efficient swimming:

“In terms of stroke length and stroke tempo for the 200m, I think I’m swimming at a world-class level in terms of efficiency. The sprint-focused training I did since the nationals really helped me in the final 50 meters. However, I did get a bit sloppy at the end. That said, I think I was able to keep a good rhythm and exertion level in my 200m strokes, which is one of my strengths. I still need to sharpen that even more. When it comes to the 50m and 100m, I’m still far behind the world’s top swimmers in terms of PBs, so I know I need to close that gap too.

“I could see the American swimmer next to me. My plan was to build up speed from 50m to 100m and then swim efficiently from 100m to 150m, but it didn’t go as planned—I may have rushed a bit and pushed too hard in the 100m to 150m stretch.”

On not being able to see QIN during the race:

“I knew I wouldn’t be able to see him at all, even if he went out fast in the first half. I was focused on beating the strong swimmers on either side of me.”

BRONZE – Caspar CORBEAU (NED)

On the medal: 

“It feels great. It’s always nice to be able to swim here in general and at a world championships against some of the best in the world. And to finish off my individual races with a medal, it’s pretty special.”

On rejoining his coach, Mark FABER, in Antwerp:

“I’ll be joining him in a month’s time. So this year, I took some time apart because he moved to Belgium, and I had to kind of figure out what I needed to do. So I jumped around coaches a bit. But, overall, I think it was pretty successful. I won (with) a best time, so I can’t really complain. 

“He just switched to Belgium. Some of the Belgian swimmers like Roos VANOTTERDIJK (BEL) got a silver medal. She dropped two seconds in the 100 fly. Same with Florine GASPARD (BEL), another one of the Belgian swimmers, doing PBs left and right in the 100 breast, 50 breast and 100 free. So he obviously knows what he’s doing. But for me, it’s about confidence. And I feel most confident with him, even after only one year (together), which was the Paris Olympic year. So I’m looking forward to it — to going back and preparing for the next few years.”

On his training camp in Kuala Lumpur:

“It helps you get used to the team. There are a bunch of great swimmers on the team, and aside from all their swimming medals and best times, they’re great people. So to be able to spend time with them and just enjoy, relax, and also focus on what you’re going to have to do in the next few weeks is really important.”

MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 1:51.92, Aaron Peirsol (USA) – 2009
• World Junior Record: 1:55.14, Kliment Kolesnikov (RUS) – 2017
• Championship Record: 1:51.92, Aaron Peirsol (USA) – 2009
• 2023 World Champion: Hubert Kos (HUN), 1:54.14
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Hubert Kos (HUN), 1:54.26

1. Hubert Kos (HUN), 1:53.19
2. Pieter Coetze (RSA), 1:53.36
3. Yohann Ndoye-Brouard (FRA), 1:54.62
4. Blake Tierney (CAN), 1:55.09
5. Apostolos Siskos (GRE), 1:55.13
6. Jan Cejka (CZE), 1:55.37
7. Roman Mityukov (SUI), 1:55.57
8. Luke Greenbank (GBR), 1:56.26

Flash Quotes

GOLD – Hubert KOS (HUN)

On winning gold:

“Yeah it was great. I’ll be honest, I don’t feel great after that. I’ve had a tough schedule here but I’m really, really happy with how things are going now. And I think Bob might be happy with that time.

“I’ve given it all, left everything in the pool. Could have been better, but after the tough session I had yesterday with the 200 IM, this was all I could swim. A full second better than my PB, a new ER – I know I should be more joyful but, excuse me to say this, but I threw up my lunch after the final, right in the mixed zone, so I’m in the middle of my recovery now. 

“Of course, it’s good to win another world title, I’m proud of that, also to have two medals at the Worlds, a first for me. But all I see now that the guys are getting better, faster so I need to work really hard. They are closing the gap, I am getting closer to the World Record, both give me great motivation for the coming months.”

SILVER – Pieter COETZE (RSA)

On what the medal means:

“It means a lot. I just wanted to get on the podium today and swim my best, and I had a big time drop from last night. So, I’m over the moon with that swim, even though I wanted the gold. And it was so close, but no complaints.

“I executed it how I wanted to. Hubert was just very good today, and he deserved the win tonight. I could see that he was ahead of me, and I felt like I was catching up in the end. If there were just 10 more metres, maybe I could have won, but if my grandma had wheels, she’d be a bicycle.”

On his message for aspiring South African swimmers:

“I would just say to believe in themselves, even though they may feel like they don’t have the opportunities or the facilities or whatever that other countries have. It’s still possible to train at home and achieve your dreams and reach for high heights in the sport. So, I would just say don’t let all that other stuff get to your head and just keep your head up and believe in yourself.”

BRONZE – Yohann NDOYE-BROUARD (FRA)

On the medal: 

“I’m very happy, because now the level of my 100 is the same as my 200. It’s the first time that I can be successful at the top level in both races. 

“The training I have at INSEP has helped. My coach who was there before is still there, but now I’m with another coach, who is training with me on the technique. My underwater are much better, the technique, the turns, all those things I have gotten better this year.” 

On his self-belief: 

“The medal at Paris gave me a lot of confidence. I don’t have nothing to prove. I’m happy with myself, with my level in sport, and now it’s all just a bonus for me.”

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – FINAL

• World Record: 2:17.55, Evgeniia Chikunova (RUS) – 2023
• World Junior Record: 2:19.64, Viktoriya Zeynep Gunes (TUR) – 2015
• Championship Record: 2:19.11, Rikke Pedersen (DEN) – 2013
• 2023 World Champion: Tatjana Smith (RSA), 2:20.80
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Kate Douglass (USA), 2:19.24

1. Kate Douglass (USA), 2:18.50 CR
2. Evgeniia Chikunova (NAB), 2:19.96
3. Kaylene Corbett (RSA) / Alina Zmushka (NAA), 2:23.52
4. –
5. Angharad Evans (GBR), 2:24.21
6. Kotryna Teterevkova (LTU), 2:24.25
7. Ellie McCartney (IRL), 2:25.22
8. Clara Rybak-Andersen (DEN), 2:25.36

Flash Quotes

GOLD – Kate DOUGLASS (USA)

On the race: 

“I definitely think my race plan in this particular event has been to try to go out 1:06, and I know that my back half isn’t as strong as others, so I think it’s important for me to get out fast. And I know I had the ability to do that, especially with my 100m getting better this meet, I felt like I was capable of going out faster.

“I have the confidence that I had a little bit left in the tank, and that I could possibly go a best time. I’m really happy with the 2:18. I did not expect to go that fast tonight. 

“My semi-final race, I took a lot less strokes than usual, so I knew that I had the ability to go even faster. I also knew that racing the world record holder in that event was going to push me to go fater, so I jut went out strong and then tried to come back as fast as I could.”

On racing Evgeniia CHIKUNOVA (NAB):

“Honestly, I was really excited to race her tonight. I felt like we were both gonna push each other to be better. And honestly, if I wasn’t racing her, I don’t know if I would have gone a 2:18. I think that really helped push me to be my best.”

On the result: 

“I was just really excited to win a gold for team USA, especially with the tough week, week and a half that we’ve had. That was really important for me, to contribute to the team and to kind of help to boost the team’s morale and boost our confidence going into these last two days.” 

SILVER – Evgeniia CHIKUNOVA (NAB)

On the result: 

“I always hope for the best, for the best result that is possible, but this is what it is. In any case, I am content that I fought until the end, especially considering that I was already wiped out after the last turn. 

“That last 50, I was pretty much howling inside, thinking, ‘God, I will never swim these 200s again!’. But I always say that. We have a complicated relationship with that race. So I’m content. At this time, in the condition I’m in, I think I did all that I could.”

On falling ill the day before: 

“We tried to recover on a short deadline. Some of the things we tried worked, some things didn’t. The result you see today is what we have as the outcome.

“The worst things you can imagine about it, it all happened to me. The doctor was trying to calm me down yesterday before the preliminaries because I didn’t know what to do.”

On her race strategy when she saw Kate DOUGLASS ahead: 

“Kate often starts the first 100 faster than me and even faster than my world record. This happens quite often and here you just need to think, ‘if I start going faster in the condition that I’m in, will I make it to the finish?’ That’s the second question. And the third is, ‘how useless will it look?’”

BRONZE – Kaylene CORBETT (RSA)

On the medal: 

“I don’t think I have the vocabulary to explain how this medal feels. In the past, since 2019, I’ve been in the top eight in the world. So, to finally break into the podium (places) has been a huge relief for me. I’m just really, really proud. I wish Tatjana SMITH (RSA) was there on the podium with me. But I mean, since she’s retired, I must say that it means a lot to me to know that I’ve been racing with her for literally forever. So it definitely helped a lot.”

On the field:

“The plan was actually just to race the race and just swim my own race. So I didn’t know I had won a medal until I looked up and I saw Pieter COETZE (RSA)’s parents jumping in the crowd. I had no idea I had won a medal. I just thought that I had touched the wall, and I just hoped for the best. I didn’t even look, and then I turned around and I just saw them jumping up and down, and I realised that I had won a medal.”

On the importance of the medal to South African swimming:

“South Africa is such a rich country in terms of sports. This year we had great rugby players. We have incredible swimmers. And now, to finally put my name on the podium list just feels really, really incredible. I just wish I had the words to describe how it feels and how it feels to finally break into that.”

BRONZE – Alina ZMUSHKA (NAA)

On the medal: 

“I arrived here in good form. It’s my first medal and I’ve been working hard to get to this point, so of course I’m very happy because a medal is always good, regardless of its colour. I didn’t believe it at first. I was looking up to see what place I got and when I saw it, it was such a thrill, a surprise – a great surprise – and I was boundlessly happy. I have been working for this for a long time.

“When I was on the podium, I finally believed and felt it, this thrill and these amazing emotions that I hope everybody can experience one day.”

MEN’S 4X200 FREESTYLE RELAY – FINAL

• World Record: 6:58.55, United States – 2009
• World Junior Record: 7:08.37, United States – 2019
• Championship Record: 6:58.55, United States – 2009
• 2023 World Champion: Great Britain, 6:59.08
• 2024 Olympic Champion: Great Britain, 6:59.43

1. Great Britain, 6:59.84
2. China, 7:00.91
3. Australia, 7:00.98
4. United States, 7:01.24
5. South Korea, 7:02.29
6. France, 7:03.69
7. Italy, 7:05.54
8. Israel, 7:06.76

Flash Quotes

GOLD – GREAT BRITAIN 

Matt RICHARDS (GBR)

On the result:

“We executed our plan very well tonight. Obviously, winning the gold in Paris last year – you know we’ll be trying to defend that in the world championship. We did a great job there. But to win a world championship after an Olympic gold is pretty special.

On gold:

“It means the world to us. That’s the third year in a row, Worlds 2023, Olympics last year, and then Worlds again this year where we’ve managed to win this race every time, which is a huge achievement. It’s something that you can almost take for granted at times, the dominance we’ve had in that event.

I think every single time it gets harder and harder to try and defend that title, so I think we’ve all got to be so proud of ourselves, all four of us and the boys this morning, putting in those performances and getting ourselves on the top of that podium again. The best way to describe it is that we’re all buzzing.” 

On pressure:

“I’d be lying if I said we weren’t aware that we hadn’t got on the medal table yet. Obviously it’s been a difficult week for us all over. We’re learning, it’s the first year of the cycle, it’s not necessarily about winning golds right now, it’s about building and learning into the next block. But we were aware that we hadn’t made it onto the table yet, so we really wanted to put in a performance tonight and not just get ourselves onto the medal table, but get ourselves a gold and put us in a good position moving forward.”

On the team chemistry:

“The depth that we’ve got is just fantastic. Being able to bring somebody like Jack in, who hasn’t swum in a final on that event with us just yet, and have full confidence in him. All of us in that race, all three of us racing tonight, two boys this morning, we all had absolute confidence that he was going to get in and get the job done.

“And he put in a fantastic split, really, really well paced, amazing performance. And I think that’s an integral part of why we’re able to stand on the top of the podium tonight.”

On his confidence in Duncan SCOTT:

“ I mean, anytime that Duncan’s going in with a sniff of a chance at a podium, you’ve got to have some confidence.

“Not to boost his ego too much, but anytime that we see him going in and we’ve handed over a position for him to get us on top of the podium, we’ve got the utmost faith in him to get the job done. 

“I think tonight he put in a filthy split again at 1.43 to seal the deal. And I think it’s just a testament to the athlete he is and the pedigree he’s got in this event and relays in general.”

Duncan SCOTT (GBR)

On being the anchor leg:

“Every time I’ve done it, they always put me in a great position. We’ve got that trust element as well with how each of us performs in the race. We’re now pretty comfortable at this sort of arena. But yeah, that was a real battle in there. You know, some great teams. And you know, I thought we performed really well.”

On Great Britain’s dominance in this event:

“I said it to the boys, ‘We can’t think this is normal, this is pretty special.” And we can’t take it for granted at all because, that was so hard-fought, and everyone’s looking at us now and challenging us. Everyone’s moved across to try and get on us, no matter what way we swim out there, they are looking to try and get at us. Everyone’s put a big target on our backs now, so every single win is really special. But what I would say is, we’ve got a really good depth from this event and I think that drives each of us on as well. And we’ve seen Jack McMILLAN drop pretty fast this morning. The Olympic champion from Tokyo, Tom DEAN, is in our heat team, and it kind of just shows the depth that we’ve got, which we’re really lucky to have, but we’ve got to utilise it, and I thought we did that well today.

On LA 2028:

“It’s tough as a 28-year-old. You’re just trying to take each one as you can. I guess it’s a good thing and a bad thing. That’s the way the swimming world works, it’s straight onto the next Olympic cycle…  I think there’s been some really positive performances from Britain this year in year one of the quad. We’ve not got as many medals as we have done in previous world championships, but I think there’s been some positive fourths, some great PBs, some good finals. The hardware has not quite been there, but it’s maybe not a bad thing in the first year of the four-year cycle… We can’t take it for granted at all, and I know after a couple of months or a couple of weeks, the boys are going to get back to it, and we’re going to start looking at what we can do for next year.” 

SILVER – CHINA

JI Xinjie (CHN)

On the result: 

“There’s still room for improvement. I didn’t think about much after I got into the water. I have three strong teammates backing me up, I knew I can rely on them. Overall, it was not a bad showing, but I think we can still go even faster.”

PAN Zhanle (CHN)

On his split: 

“You can’t say I’m fast when we have a teammate who swam even faster. It’s not been an easy meet for me, but with the encouragement and support of my teammates and coach, to be able to stand on the podium today, is a really happy thing for me.

“From 2024 onwards, you can see that our younger swimmers are coming to the fore. Swimmers like ZHANG Zhanshuo have become the strength of our men’s team. From here onwards, our targets have become even clearer. I hope that our performances will be more even, and that we can make strides together as a team.” 

On China now holding Asian records in men’s relay events: 

“This is just the start. It’s the start of an Olympic cycle, we’ll continue to work hard. We weren’t the gold medallists today, we still have more to work towards.” 

On exchanging swim caps and autographs with David POPOVICI (ROU): 

“We have mutual respect, and we understand each other. We know how hard it is to remain athletes at the top. I still remember in 2022, at the short course world championships in Melbourne, I even wore one of his medals, and I won a medal myself later. I rubbed off some of his luck.” 

WANG Shun (CHN)

On the make-up of the relay team: 

“The first time I took part in the world championships, I also stood on the podium in the men’s 4x200m free relay. Now, I’m one of the older members of the team. To be able to lead some of the younger ones to this meet and stand on the podium is very emotional for me. It’s also my first silver medal at the world championships, so it’s also meaningful. I’m thankful that my teammates did their best to achieve this result. It shows the strength of Chinese swimming and I hope we can create more results in time to come.” 

On swimming a split that’s close to his peak: 

“I didn’t think so much. I felt quite good in the heats this morning. The team prepared us well for the final. It’s not my effort alone, there was a lot of preparation that went on behind the scenes. I feel very encouraged with this result, to see my teammates do their best too. It really made me feel determined to give my teammates as much of an advantage as possible.” 

ZHANG Zhanshuo (CHN)

On overtaking Australia and USA as anchor: 

“In a relay, the result is the combined effort of everyone involved. I merely did my part to swim my best, I didn’t want to let my teammates down.

“This is a silver medal. It means we still have a gap to make up on. Let’s work hard for that.” 

BRONZE – AUSTRALIA

Flynn SOUTHAM (AUS)

On the American team: 

“I mean, they’re such a good team, they’re good regardless and coming fourth in the world is still pretty amazing. They have a pretty young team, we definitely cannot count them out for the future. I think everyone’s going through a lot of adversity this year, and it’s just showing that we adapt and overcome whatever comes our way.”

Charlie HAWKE (AUS)

On the medal: 

“It’s pretty special, first team, get a medal. Obviously, we’re aiming for higher in the coming years. I hope everyone back at Alabama’s proud, definitely had a great year with them, and yeah hope that I’ve represented them well here.”

Kai TAYLOR (AUS)

On his split: 

“I’m very happy with my split, I had a bit of an average swim this morning and was a little bit down about that, but you know, the boys, we just get around each other and I think we bring the best out of each other when we’re in relays and that’s when we lift the most. So, yeah, very happy with that.”

Maximilian GIULIANI (AUS)

On the medal:

“I mean, it was great. I think I could have been a little bit better, but I mean, we’ve come away with a bronze and we’re such a young team. I think we’re all a real threat in the future. We’re all like 20, 22, 21, we’ve got a lot left in us. I think come 2028, we’re going to be a real force to be reckoned with.”

On the race: 

“I mean, it’s great to have competition, I think the Americans are an amazing team, the Brits who won are an amazing team, and the Chinese just keep going from strength to strength, I mean they’ve got PAN in there, all of those guys are incredible athletes and I’m so happy to be sharing the podium with such a great group of boys.

“I mean, we would have loved to have won or come second, but I mean, third in the world is quite good, so I can’t be too upset about it, and again, those two teams that beat us are absolutely incredible, so props to them and props to our boys. I think in the coming years we’re going to be extremely good.”