Xu Jiayu and Zhang Zhanshuo Claim Impressive Wins at Chinese National Games
Two days after setting a world junior record in the 400-meter freestyle, 18-year-old Zhang Zhansuo took his first trip inside the 1:45 barrier in the 200 freestyle. Racing on Night Three of the Chinese National Games, Zhang turned in a performance of 1:44.86 to notch a dominant victory in the four-lap event. Zhang finished more than a second ahead of runnerup Ji Xinjie, who touched the wall in 1:45.96. Pan Zhanle, the world-record holder in the 100 freestyle, took third place in 1:46.37.
Zhang’s effort elevated him to No. 7 in the 2025 world rankings and further confirmed his status as one of the sport’s rising stars. Zhang has proved to be a valuable contributor to Chinese relays on the international stage and now seems poised for a breakout at the senior level. The teen possesses impressive range from the 200 freestyle through the 1500 freestyle, and also rates as a premier performer in the 400 individual medley.
While Zhang boasts a promising future, veteran Xu Jiayu continued to excel in the 100 backstroke. The 30-year-old, a five-time Olympic medalist and former world champ in the 100 backstroke, won his prime event in 52.39. That swim is a season best, improving on his 52.49 mark from in the spring. Xu was the silver medalist in the 100 backstroke at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and won world titles in the event in 2017 and 2019.
In the women’s 100 breaststroke, Tang Qianting bested the competition behind a winning swim of 1:05.36. A multi-time medalist at the Olympics and World Championships, Tang finished ahead of Yang Chang, who grabbed second place in 1:06.36. Meanwhile, Li Bingjie backed up her prior win in the 400 freestyle with a first-place finish in the 1500 freestyle. Li produced the only sub-16:00 performance in the field, going 15:55.40. Just missing a 15-minute outing was runnerup Wu Ruoxin, who posted a time of 16:00.61. In the night’s other final, Peng Xuwei defeated her foes in the women’s 100 backstroke, as her 59.60 placed ahead of the 59.96 from Lu Xingchen.
In semifinal action, Qin Haiyang (26.75) and Yan Zibei (26.86) led the way into the final of the 50 breaststroke while Li Jiaping earned the top seed in the women’s 200 freestyle, going 1:55.81. Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey was next in 1:56.73. In the men’s 200 butterfly, Xu Fang clocked 1:56.61 to claim Lane Four for the final.
