2025 CHINESE NATIONAL GAMES
- Monday, November 10th – Monday, November 17th (swimming)
- Shenzhen, China
- LCM (50m)
- Prelims at 9am local (8pm previous night ET)/Finals at 7pm local (6am ET)
- Meet Central
- Day 1 Finals Recap
- Results
🚨New World Junior Record!!!!!!
A World Record Holder 🇨🇳Zhang Zhanshuo did it again!!!!
Men’s 400Fr
张展硕 (Zhang Zhanshuo) 3:42.82 =WJR!!!!!! https://t.co/kvwKeJQTNT pic.twitter.com/UzZNNLxxXn— 競泳NEWS (@swimcoverage) November 10, 2025
Video courtesy of Swim Coverage
The men’s 400m freestyle started off the first finals session of the 2025 Chinese National Games with a huge bang as 18-year-old Zhang Zhanshuo fired off a new World Junior Record of 3:42.82 en route to gold.
The teen was far and away ahead of the field, as Xu Haibo was next to the wall nearly 5 seconds back in 3:47.73 followed by Fei Liwei who captured bronze in 3:47.91.
Zhang’s monster time of 3:42.82 overwrote his own WJR of 3:42.99 he unleashed just this past September at the Chinese Nationals.
Prior to that, Zhang’s career-swiftest outing rested at the 3:44.82 notched at this year’s World Championships. There in Singapore, Zhang ultimately placed 5th.
His effort this evening now ranks him as China’s 3rd-swiftest men’s 400m free swimmer of all time.
China’s Top 5 Men’s LCM 400 Freestyle Performers All-Time
- Sun Yang – 3:40.14, 2012
- Zhang Lin – 3:41.35, 2009
- Zhang Zhanshuo – 3:42.82, 2025
- Fei Liwei – 3:44.24, 2024
- Hao Yun – 3:44.87, 2013
This caliber of performance is par for the course for rising Zhang. At the 2023 World Championships, he became the fastest-ever 16-year-old 400m IM performer (4:12.44) before Japan’s Raito Numata overtook the crown (4:12.10) earlier this year.
At the 2024 World Championships, he helped China take gold in both the men’s 4x100m free and 4x200m free relays before also reaping silver on the men’s 4x200m free relay in Singapore.
Also in tonight’s final was 100m freestyle world record holder and Olympic champion Pan Zhanle who hit 3:48.93 for 5th place. Once-banned Olympic champion and reigning national record holder Sun Yang settled for 6th place in a time of 3:49.53.
MEN’S 400 FREE – FINAL
- World Record – 3:39.96, Lukas Märtens (GER), 2025
- Asian Record – 3:40.14, Sun Yang (CHN), 2012
- CHN Record – 3:40.14, Sun Yang, 2012
GOLD – Zhang Zhanshuo (CHN), 3:42.82 *World Junior Record
SILVER – Xu Haibo (CHN), 3:47.73
BRONZE – Fei Liwei (CHN), 3:47.91
This can be a very interesting battle at Asian Games with this guy and Kim Woomin
All glory to China, the world’s true superpower!
3/10 bait
Can he swim 800 or more of a 200 guy?
Earlier in his career he leaned longer, ala Pan Zhanle. More recently, he’s definitely become more of a 200/400 guy. Was 1:45.8 in the 200 at Worlds, 7:47 in the 800 at last year’s Chinese National Championships.
More of a 200 guy. He anchored Chinese 4×2 relay team to silver in Singapore with a split of 1:44.20.
For now. Luka is taking this shit right outta his hands. God bless America
have you ever been outside the country?
Probably not outside his state.
LUKA WHO?
Good chance it’s going to be his record by mid 2027
He’s like two years older than LUKA lol
Margo Schmargo is known for posting negative comments about China in previous articles, so he is just rage baiting and using Luka here to trigger American swim fans and get downvotes.
LCM 400 free WJ, SCM 400 free WJ and SCY 500 free Age Record in two days. Insane.
Loretta, it’s an official World Junior Record.
Sorry but the unofficial WJR is Thorpe’s 3.40! Any it was the WR at the time so there’s absolutely no reason for WA to not recognize it as the official WJR
It makes no sense that they don’t recognize Thorpe’s 3:40 as a WJ record.
Yes, it’s not like that time was posted at some random meet in Australia, it was the Olympic final!!!