Qin Haiyang Posts 2:07.60, Dong Zhihao Hits 2:08.83 WJR In 200 Breast In China

2023 CHINESE SPRING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Sunday, March 19th – Friday, March 24th
• Qingdao, China
• LCM (50m)
• Day 1 Recap/Day 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap/Day 4 Recap
• Results via Asian Media

While competing on day 5 of the 2023 Chinese Spring Championships, 23-year-old Qin Haiyang put up a monster effort of 2:07.60 to take the men’s 200m breaststroke.

After powering his way to the top seed out of the morning with a heats swim of 2:09.35, Qin dropped over a second and a half to produce a time within range of his own lifetime best of 2:07.35 clocked way back at the 2017 Chinese National Games. Splits are unavailable at time of publishing.

Qin’s 2:07.60 result also would have nabbed the silver at the 2022 World Championships, joining gold medalist Zac Stubblety-Cook of Australia as the only 2:07-zone swimmers. There in Budapest, Qin registered a disappointing time of 2:13.35 to place just 22nd.

Finishing behind Qin in tonight’s domestic race, however, was 17-year-old Dong Zhihao.

Dong scorched a result of 2:08.83 for silver and was the only other swimmer behind Qin to get under the 2:13 threshold.

With a birth date of March 31, 2005, Dong’s effort checks in as a new World Junior Record. The previous mark was actually held by Qin with the 2:09.39 he posted in the heats at the 2017 World Championships.

Dong’s 2:08.83 brings that WJR into entirely new territory as the first junior male to have dipped under the 2:09 threshold.

We will publish a subsequent post once splits and race video are available.

Qin now becomes the world-leader in the men’s 200m breast on the season, with his 2:07.60 dethroning Japan’s Ippei Watanabe and Shoma Sato who each own a season-best of 2:08.55. Dong now checks in as the 4th fastest swimmer at just 17 years of age.