2023 CHINESE NATIONALS
- May 1st – May 8th
- LCM (50m)
- World Championships Qualifier
- Results via Asian Media
- Day 1 Recap
China has never won a medal in the men’s 400 medley relay at either the Olympics or World Championships, but that may only be true for another couple of months.
The Chinese men have had individual stars emerge in each of the 100-meter events over the last decade—Ning Zetao won the 100 free world title in 2015, Xu Jiayu won back-to-back World Championship golds in the 100 back in 2017 and 2019, and Yan Zibei (100 breast bronze in 2019) and Li Zhuhao (sub-51 100 fly in 2017) both got up into the elite ranks of their respective events.
However, despite the individual success, China has never quite been able to put together a 400 medley relay that matches the sum of its parts.
Right around the peak of the aforementioned swimmers, China finished sixth in the men’s 400 medley relay at the 2017 World Championships and then was seventh at the 2019 Worlds in Gwangju. At the 2016 Olympics, the team initially finished fourth before getting disqualified, and then at the Tokyo Games, they were incredibly DQed in a second straight Olympic final.
Then last year, they seemingly punted the final at the World Championships, exchanging in IM specialist Wang Shun to swim the backstroke leg in the final in place of Xu, who swam in the heats.
However, things appear to be different this year. The Chinese men have been on good form so far this season, beginning at the Chinese Spring Championships in March, and that momentum clearly carried over into the opening day of their National Championships which kicked off Monday.
Pan Zhanle, an up-and-coming freestyler who finished fourth in the men’s 100 free at the 2022 World Championships, dropping a blistering 47.22 in the event on Day 1 of Chinese Nationals, setting a new Asian Record and becoming the 11th-fastest swimmer in history.
Xu, who was far from his best at the 2022 Worlds, also had a strong showing on Monday, clocking 52.47 in the 100 back to go faster than he was at either last year’s World Championships or the Tokyo Olympic Games.
At the Chinese Spring Championships in March, Qin Haiyang put up a time of 58.66 in the 100 breast, .03 off Yan’s Chinese Record from 2019, and in the 100 fly, 20-year-old Wang Changhao dropped a time of 51.45 (also setting a new national mark in the 50 fly).
With those four swimmers, China has a 400 medley relay add-up of 3:29.80 using flat-start times, under the existing National Record set at the 2018 Asian Games.
| China, 2018 Asian Games | China, 2023 Flat Start Add-Ups |
| Xu Jiayu – 52.60 | Xu Jiayu – 52.47 |
| Yan Zibei – 58.86 | Qin Haiyang – 58.66 |
| Li Zhuhao – 50.61 | Wang Changhao – 51.45 |
| Yu Hexin – 47.92 | Pan Zhanle – 47.22 |
| 3:29.99 | 3:29.80 |
The United States and Great Britain have been battling it out for gold in the 400 medley relay at recent major championship events, but the hierarchy changed at the 2022 World Championships when the Brits were without star breastsroker Adam Peaty.
Italy upset the Americans to win the world title in a time of 3:27.51, while the U.S. was the runner-up in 3:27.79 (without Caeleb Dressel). In Peaty’s absence, the Brits were a distant third in 3:31.31.
This year, Great Britain will be without Peaty once again, while the U.S. figures to get Dressel back and Italy remains strong. But with China’s emergence, they’re now clearly in medal position and pose a significant threat to the Americans and Italians in Fukuoka.
UPDATE
Qin dropped a time of 57.93 in the 100 breast on Day 2, joining Peaty and Dutchman Arno Kamminga in the elusive sub-58 club.
With that swim, China’s add-up gets all the way down to 3:29.07. And all of a sudden, they’re chances of challenging the U.S. and Italy become even greater.
| China, 2018 Asian Games | China, 2023 Flat Start Add-Ups |
| Xu Jiayu – 52.60 | Xu Jiayu – 52.47 |
| Yan Zibei – 58.86 | Qin Haiyang – 57.93 |
| Li Zhuhao – 50.61 | Wang Changhao – 51.45 |
| Yu Hexin – 47.92 | Pan Zhanle – 47.22 |
| 3:29.99 | 3:29.07 |
qin went 57.93 in the 100 breast!
And another two 58s and Australia can’t even manage one. 🙄 They’re getting into medley relay gold medal contender territory now. Wang Changhao swims the 100 fly on Thursday.
while your first sentence is very impressive, there’s also no need to mention it as we’ll hear about it tenfold from a certain someone. and yu yiting is delivering on the promise she showed in 2021, with a 2:08.34 200 im. could break ye shiwen’s asian record, and I’m keen to see her 400 later
One thing about the Chinese, you never know if they will show up at Worlds or Olympics!?!?
Usa, China and Italy in the Men’s medley and USA, China and Australia in the mixed medley look like the clear podium for Fukuoka and Paris right now unless Peaty comes back to near his best.
Booked!
You think Aus in the mixed medley? I’m not convinced because our breast is just THAT bad.
Hopefully ZSC can regain his Tokyo form.
They realistically cannot win; other than via major line-up miscalculations by US or breaks; but the podium is otherwise a fairly open book.
GBR, minus Peaty, are now just another player.
RUS won’t be there
The likely ITA women’s legs are weaker than other major contenders
CHN must be respected but are unlikely to threaten USA
CAN could be respectable but their breaststroke picture is direr than AUS.
NED could be a major factor, especially with BRS strength, but AUS arguably has them covered on other 3 legs.
AUS men’s backstroke weakness will almost certainly require McKeown to lead-off which will see them leak time to those starting MMFF but conversely, she should ‘have the number’ of those… Read more »
Sweden and France also have good MMRs
Notionally, they may well do so. However, SWE have not entered a team at the last LC Worlds nor at the most recent Euros. Likewise for FRA, other than they did have a team at last year’s Euros (finished off the podium).
Minus Peaty, and with an existing backstroke weakness; GBR is almost certainly out of gold calculations and fighting for bronze at best.
USA may still be favoured but its a far more marginal call than has historically been the case. ITA has shown that, on a good day, USA is beatable and that they (ITA) must be seriously respected.
This article does seem to make a presentable case that CHN could enter the medal equation; albeit most likely playing for bronze.
Beyond that, with RUS still in the doghouse, its hard to see anyone else seriously contending. On a really good day; JAP & AUS could sneak under 3.30 but that’s really talking best case scenarios and the conversation in… Read more »
I’ll be really surprised if Australia gets up there. Without Larkin and no elite 100 breaststroker, their front half isn’t really podium material. Temple and chalmers can only do so much.
I can’t believe I’m saying this but Japan has a similar problem: no elite 100 breaststroker. Between Mura and hanaguruma and sato, they’ll all probably get somewhat of a similar split in the low/mid 59s. Between them and Australia, irie is always consistent and will be better than anything they have to offer right now, mizunuma will go right around the same as temple, and whatever differential between chalmers and nakamura will probably be dependent on the backstrokers.
I fully agree.
Both got down to 3.29 in Tokyo; which is a notionally medal competitive time for this year at least; however both are likely to hit those times given neither have resolved their weak points but have rather regressed.
The only point that may play to their favour is GBR falling back closer to their relative “orbits”; the counterbalance being CHN potentially entering this equation either on par with them or maybe slightly ahead.
correction/too late to edit: both are NOT likely to hit those times (3.29).
Think it’s fair to say China is in the mix for a medal now these are going to be a historic world championships.
As a China fan, I have to say that the men’s 4×100 medley is the equivalent of the USA 4×100 track relay. China men’s medley always either DQs (2016/2020 Olympics) or has some sort of issue that tanks the performance. See, for example, Ning Zetao (doping, violating sponsorship rules), Xu Jiayu (stomach ulcers, cheating on his girlfriend), Li Zhuhao (career-ending foot injury), Wang Lizhuo (doping). Hopefully, they can right the ship soon.
I just read today that Li Zhuhao has very high hope for the new butterfly guy. Apparently he is the only chinese butterflyer who only takes 16 strokes in the first 50m.