The 2015 Chinese Spring National Championships, which are a selection meet for Worlds (though not necessarily a binding one), began on Thursday in the metropolis of Baoji iin central China, a city of nearly 4 million residents. The long course meet is following the World Championships event schedule.
Sun Yang, still mired in lingering controversy from his doping suspension from a year ago, began the meet by taking the first event title up for grabs in the men’s 400 free, swimming 3:44.53. That ranks him 3rd in the world so far in 2015, and is half-a-second faster than he was to win the event at this same meet last year.
2014-2015 LCM Men 400 Free
YANG
3.42.58
| 2 | Mack HORTON | AUS | 3.42.84 | 04/03 |
| 3 | James GUY | GBR | 3.43.75 | 08/02 |
| 4 | David McKEON | AUS | 3.44.28 | 04/03 |
| 5 | Ryan COCHRANE | CAN | 3.44.59 | 08/02 |
While Sun is looking for a rebound year, the once-juggernaut Chinese men’s distance swimming continues to deteriorate, and Sun was the only swimmer faster than 3:50 in the race.
In the same race for the women, Cao Yue swam 4:05.86 to win. That’s a new personal best for her. In late 2013, Yue stepped down from open water to the 200, 400, and 800 in the pool, where she excelled immediately at the country’s fall National Championship meet, but in 2014 she took a step back and earned only a single 800 free relay entry at the 2014 Asian Games. This swim makes her now by far the domestic front-runner in a discipline where, despite taking gold and silver at the Asian Games last year, China didn’t prove to be a threat to many nations outside of the continent.
Shao Yiwen took 2nd in 4:07.01, and Guo Junjun was 3rd in 4:07.34. Those two were also faster than the two Asian Games medalists from last season.
Full day 1 finals results below.
Day 1 top 3 finishers
Men 400 Free
Sun Yang 3’44″53
Li Yunqi 3’50″73
Yang Jintong 3’50″74
Women 400 Free
Cao Yue 4’05″86
Shao Yiwen 4’07″01
Guo Junjun 4’07″34
Men 4×100 FR
Guangdong 3’19″47
Beijing 3’20″51
Shanghai 3’21″04
Women 4×100 FR
Zhejiang 3’39″75
Beijing 3’40″76
Shanghai 3’42″61
Don’t be myopic! TMZ was’t prohibited as banned heart stimulant or updated in CHINADA website until the blunder was discovered and then revised after June 2014. Of course this is a huge embarrassment to the Chinese swimming authorities and Sun Yang is being victimized as doper and cheater by ignorant and underachievers. The medication he took was prescribed unknowingly (TUE is ok) during April local national meet of which he could have win easily with one hand holding his ‘crotch’ (his winning time was 14min 48sec and far from PB of 14 min 31sec and chased by a bridemaid 10 sec away). So please be reasonable when you pass any unwarranted hurtful remarks when the guy is a victim of… Read more »
Knock this doper off Mack!!
I also think a men’s freestyle world record is unlikely, but if one is set not unlikely that it will be by a suspicious individual.
If I had to pick the most likely free record to go down this summer for men I would say Horton 400 free. I don’t think anyone is suspicious of his talent.
Good for him…
Makes me sick to the stomach – Anybody but Sun Yang or Park Taehwan, please!
Impressive time after what he has been going through…
If everyone gets the right mix of supplements we could see a male freestyle world record this summer
Edit: non-breaststroke men’s WR
I will be extremely surprised if any male freestyle WR is broken.this summer. supplements or not.
Kazan….. let the doping championships begin!
In Kazan, there will be more swimmers who have tested to banned substances than in any previous worlds/olympics.
..have tested positive to..
Uh 1976? 1978?
Did any of those East Germans TESTED POSITIVE PRIOR TO 1976 AND 1978?
1994 as well.
Did any of those Chinese TESTED POSITIVE PRIOR TO 1994?
Please read my comment carefully