Tang Qianting Breaks Asian Record in Women’s 100m Breaststroke at National Swimming Championships
Shenzhen, April 20 – The 2024 National Swimming Championships saw an impressive display of talent on its second competition day, with Tang Qianting stealing the spotlight by breaking the Asian record in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke event. The championships, held in Shenzhen, also saw Olympic champion Zhang Yufei clinching the gold medal in the women’s 100-meter butterfly.
During the women’s 100-meter breaststroke semifinals, Tang Qianting took an early lead and clocked an impressive time of 1 minute, 4 seconds, and 68 seconds. This time not only surpassed the Asian record for the event but also improved upon her performance at the World Championships in Qatar earlier this year. Her gold medal-winning time of 27 also marked a significant improvement of 0.59 seconds, making Tang Qianting the first Asian athlete to swim the event in under 1 minute and 5 seconds.
In the women’s 100-meter butterfly final, Zhang Yufei continued her winning streak by clinching the gold in 56.36 seconds. Yu Yiting took home the silver medal, while Wang Yichun secured the bronze.
On the men’s side, triple world champion Qin Haiyang dominated the men’s 100-meter breaststroke final, winning the gold in 58.24 seconds. Sun Jiajun and Dong Zhihao claimed the silver and bronze medals, respectively. In the men’s 400-meter individual medley final, Huang Zhiwei emerged victorious in 4 minutes and 16.33 seconds, finishing over 5 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, Chen Nuo. Li Yifeng rounded up the podium with the bronze medal.
The National Swimming Championships continue to showcase the top talents in Chinese swimming, with record-breaking performances and fierce competition setting the stage for an exciting season ahead.