Wang Shun Nears 400 IM Lifetime Best, Wu Qingfeng Leads Women’s 50 Free Rankings

2025 CHINESE NATIONAL SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• May 17-24, 2025
• Shenzhen, China
• LCM (50 meters)
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap/Day 4 Recap/Day 5 Recap/Day 6 Recap/Day 7 Recap
• Results

The 2025 Chinese National Swimming Championships concluded tonight in Shenzhen with additional big-time performances being put up as athletes vied for World Championships roster spots.

We reported how 12-year-old Yu Zidi crushed a new lifetime best of 4:35.53 en route to winning the women’s 400m IM, once again challenging what we all thought was possible at that age.

She defeated the field by a comfortable margin, with runner-up status going to Chang Mohan who touched in 4:37.33 followed by Li Bingjie who earned bronze in 4:38.66.

You can read more about Yu’s incredible achievement here.

Olympic multi-medalist Wang Shun topped the men’s 400m IM podium, nearing his lifetime best with a gold medal-garnering swim of 4:10.64.

That established a new meet record, holding off Zhang Zhanshuo and Xie Yichen who captured the minor medals.

18-year-old Zhang finished in 4:11.86 for a new personal best while Xie rounded out the podium in 4:18.73.

Wang’s PB remains at the Chinese national record of 4:09.10 he established over 12 years ago while Zhang’s time tonight overtook the 4:12.44 he notched in 2023. That former PB was clocked for silver at the 2023 World Junior Championships, where Zhang became the fastest 16-and-under 400m IM performer in history.

Zhang now checks in as China’s 5th-swiftest performer, joining Wang in World Championships qualification.

Wang’s effort this evening renders him the 3rd slot among the season’s world rankings.

Teenager Zhang had earlier taken on the men’s 1500m free tonight, stopping the clock at 15:02.62 to just miss the World Aquatics ‘A’ standard of 15:01.89 needed for Singapore.

He has already been as quick as 14:54.06 this season, a time he established at March’s Chinese Spring Nationals to become the nation’s 4th-best performer in history.

Last night, 21-year-old Tang Qianting logged a championship record of 30.01 to take the top seed in the women’s 50m breaststroke.

The Olympic medalist was slightly off that result this evening, but still wound up with the gold and Singapore qualification with a mark of 30.23.

She beat the pack by nearly a second, with Yang Chang settling for silver in 31.07 followed by Yu Jingyao who touched  in 31.30 as the bronze medalist.

Fellow Olympic medallist Xu Jiayu was also in the water tonight, contesting the men’s 50m backstroke. He, too, added slightly from his meet record performance last night.

Yesterday, Xu claimed the top seed in 24.38, tying his own Chinese national record in the process. This evening, he turned in a time of 24.46 to still get the job done and add the event to his Singapore lineup.

Wang Gukailai also made the grade, clearing the World Championships ‘A’ cut of 25.11 with a silver medal-garnering result of 24.99. Wang Zicheng was just off the top two in 25.01 for bronze.

Wu Qingfeng was too quick to catch in the women’s 50m freestyle, powering her way to gold in a time of 24.18.

The 22-year-old registered a new lifetime best with tonight’s performance, overtaking her previous best-ever outing of 24.22 logged last year. She remains China’s #3 performer of all time.

Behind her tonight was Cheng Yujie who also nailed a new PB. She touched in 24.33 to slice .07 off the 24.41 produced in 2021, remaining the 4th-swiftest Chinese woman in history.

Yang Wenwen touched in 25.02 to claim bronze this evening.

Not only did Wu and Cheng easily qualify for Singapore, but the pair now ranks as 1st and 2nd in the season’s worldwide standings.

The men’s and women’s 4x100m medley relays wrapped up tonight’s finals session with impressive splits being produced on both sides.

For the men, the Zhejiang Shouxian Valley squad of Xu, Dong Yifan, Shen Jiahao, and Pan Zhanle collectively stopped the clock at a time of 3:34.66 to take the decisive victory.

Xu led off with a backstroke leg of 53.03 before turning it over to Dong who swam 1:01.29 on breaststroke. Shen kept the speed with a 3rd leg of 51.62 before Pan, who has reportedly been suffering from a cold this week, anchored in 48.72.

Zhejiang Shouxian Valley also grabbed the women’s gold, with the quartet of Qian Xinan, Ye Shiwen, Yu Yiting and Wu notching a team effort of 3:58.54, the sole outing of the final under 4:00.

Qian kicked things off in 1:00.00 and Ye kept the momentum with a breast leg of 1:07.87. Yu hit 57.29 on fly before Wu sealed the deal in 53.38 on freestyle.

World Championships Qualifiers Through Day 7

• Li Bingjie – women’s 400m free, 1500m free, 200m free, 800m free
• Yang Peiqi – women’s 400m free, 1500m free, 800m free
• Pan Zhanle – men’s 400m free, 200m free, 100m free
• Fei Liwei – men’s 400m free
• Qin Haiyang – men’s 100m breast, 50m breast, 200m breast
• Dong Zhihao – men’s 100m breast, 200m breast
• Yu Yiting – women’s 100m fly, 200m IM
• Zhang Yufei – women’s 100m fly
• Yu Zidi – women’s 200m IM, 200m fly
• Zhang Zhanshuo – men’s 200m free, 400m IM
• Wan Letian – women’s 100m back, 50m back
• Peng Xuwei – women’s 100m back, 200m back
• Xu Jiayu – men’s 100m back, 200m back, 50m back
• Tang Qianting – women’s 100m breast, 50m breast
• Liu Yaxin – women’s 200m free, 200m back
• Xu Fang – men’s 200m fly, 100m fly
• Chen Juner – men’s 200m fly, 100m fly
• Ma Yonghui – women’s 200m fly
• Lu Xingchen – women’s 50m back
• Wang Shun – men’s 200m IM, 400m IM
• Wu Qingfeng – women’s 100m free, 50m fly, 50m free
• Cheng Yujie – women’s 100m free, 50m free
• Lv Qinyao – women’s 200m breast
• Wang Yichun – women’s 50m fly
• Wang Gukailai – men’s 50m back