Dive into the Drama: China's Swimming Stars Clash in a Showdown of Speed and Skill! Imagine a stage where Olympic champions and rising talents battle it out, pushing the limits of human endurance in the water. That's the electrifying reality at the 2025 Chinese National Games, and day four promises thrills that could redefine swimming history. But here's where it gets controversial—does a swimmer's comeback from injury truly level the playing field, or is it just an unfair advantage? Stick around as we break it all down, and trust us, you won't want to miss the twists.
The 2025 Chinese National Games are heating up in Shenzhen, China, from Monday, November 10th, through Monday, November 17th, with swimming taking center stage. We're talking long course meters (LCM, which means a 50-meter pool—perfect for simulating Olympic conditions and letting swimmers stretch their strokes fully). Prelims kick off at 9am local time (that's 8pm the night before in Eastern Time for our U.S. fans), while finals light up at 7pm local (6am ET). For a quick refresher, check out the Day 1 Recap here, Day 2 Recap here, and Day 3 Recap here. Stay tuned with Meet Central here for schedules, grab the latest results here, and catch the livestream on YouTube here.
Day four is packed with action from top-tier Chinese athletes, ready to shine under the global spotlight. Leading the charge is Pan Zhanle, the world record holder and Olympic champion, who dominated the morning heats in the men's 100m freestyle with a blazing 49.63 to secure the top spot. Tonight, he'll face fierce competition from Liu Wudi, Ji Xinjie, and He Junyi as they fight for one of eight spots in tomorrow's grand final. And this is the part most people miss—how does a young phenom like this keep elevating the sport? It's a reminder that swimming isn't just about power; it's about precision and mental grit.
Over in the women's 50m backstroke heats, Wan Letian stood out with the only sub-28-second time, clocking an impressive 27.93 to take the lead. The semi-finals will showcase Lu Xingchen, Peng Xuwei, and Wang Xueer in what could be a nail-biting showdown.
Other semi-finals on deck include the men's 200m individual medley (IM, which combines butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle—think of it as swimming's ultimate test of versatility) and the women's 200m butterfly. The men's event features Olympic medalist Wang Shun, who casually posted a morning swim of 2:01.86, hinting at his readiness to dominate. The women's race pits Zhang Yufei—a six-time Paris Olympics medalist who swam 2:10.68 in the AM—against Chen Luying, who topped that with 2:09.92, and the 13-year-old sensation Yu Zidi, who hit 2:10.80 but has shocked the world before with her 2:06.43 for fourth in Singapore. Is age just a number in swimming, or should young stars like Yu be given more room to grow before facing elite competition? That's a debate worth pondering.
The evening's medal races round out the excitement with the men's 800m freestyle, women's 200m freestyle, men's 200m butterfly, men's 50m breaststroke, and the mixed medley relay (a team event mixing men's and women's styles for a relay thrill).
MEN’S 800M FREESTYLE – FINAL
- World Record: 7:32.12 by Zhang Lin (CHN) in 2009
- Asian Record: 7:32.12 by Zhang Lin (CHN) in 2009
- Chinese National Record: 7:32.12 by Zhang Lin (CHN) in 2009
Gold: Zhang Zhanshuo, 7:46.69
Silver: Fei Liwei, 7:51.42
Bronze: Liu Pexin, 7:53.00
The 18-year-old Zhang Zhanshuo is on fire again, clinching gold in the men's 800m freestyle with a wire-to-wire victory in 7:46.69. This isn't just a win—it's a personal best that smashes his previous career mark of 7:47.87 from last year's Chinese Spring Championships, and it sets a new Chinese National Junior Record. He edged out the field by nearly five seconds, proving his endurance is unmatched at this level. Fei Liwei claimed silver in 7:51.42, while Liu Pexin took bronze in 7:53.00. Zhang now sits as China's third-fastest ever in this event, building on his earlier successes in the 400m free (where he set a World Junior Record) and 200m free.
For context, here's the top 5 all-time Chinese performers in the LCM 800m freestyle:
1. Zhang Lin – 7:32.12 (2009)
2. Sun Yang – 7:38.57 (2011)
3. Zhang Zhanshuo – 7:46.69 (2025)
4. Fei Liwei – 7:47.11 (2024)
5. Zhang Ziyang – 7:51.86 (2021)
WOMEN’S 200M FREESTYLE – FINAL
- World Record: 1:52.23 by Ariarne Titmus (AUS) in 2024
- Asian Record: 1:53.92 by Siobhan Haughey (HKG) in 2021
- Chinese National Record: 1:54.26 by Tang Muhan in 2021
Gold: Siobhan Haughey (HKG), 1:54.85
Silver: Li Bingjie, 1:55.67
Bronze: Liu Yaxin, 1:56.01
Siobhan Haughey, the Olympic multi-medalist from Hong Kong and reigning Asian record holder, proved unstoppable in the women's 200m freestyle final, touching in 1:54.85 to secure gold by a comfortable margin. This solid performance ranks just outside her personal top 10 times. Li Bingjie, fresh off her 1500m freestyle win yesterday, snagged silver in 1:55.67—nearly a second shy of her PB of 1:54.52, which earned her silver at this year's World Championships. Liu Yaxin rounded out the podium with bronze in 1:56.01. This marks Haughey's second major outing since her comeback from a back injury, including her strong showings at the Hong Kong Age Group LC Championships earlier this month after skipping the 2025 World Championships. Could her injury recovery be the secret to her renewed edge, or is it a cautionary tale about pushing limits in elite sports?
MEN’S 100M FREESTYLE – SEMI-FINAL
- World Record: 46.40 by Pan Zhanle (CHN) in 2024
- Asian Record: 46.40 by Pan Zhanle (CHN) in 2024
- Chinese National Record: 46.40 by Pan Zhanle (CHN) in 2024
Top 8: [Details not provided in original; assuming placeholders or to be filled as per source]
WOMEN’S 50M BACKSTROKE – SEMI-FINAL
- World Record: 26.86 by Kaylee McKeown (AUS) in 2023
- Asian Record: 26.98 by Liu Xiang (CHN) in 2018
- Chinese National Record: 26.98 by Liu Xiang (CHN) in 2018
Top 8: [Details not provided in original; assuming placeholders or to be filled as per source]
MEN’S 200M BUTTERFLY – FINAL
- World Record: 1:50.34 by Kristof Milak (HUN) in 2022
- Asian Record: 1:52.53 by Daiya Seto (JPN) in 2020
- Chinese National Record: 1:54.02 by Chen Juner in 2025
Gold: [Not specified]
Silver: [Not specified]
Bronze: [Not specified]
MEN’S 50M BREASTSTROKE – FINAL
- World Record: 25.95 by Adam Peaty (GBR) in 2017
- Asian Record: 26.20 by Qin Haiyang (CHN) in 2023
- Chinese National Record: 26.20 by Qin Haiyang (CHN) in 2023
Gold: [Not specified]
Silver: [Not specified]
Bronze: [Not specified]
WOMEN’S 200M BUTTERFLY – SEMI-FINAL
- World Record: 2:01.81 by Liu Zige (CHN) in 2009
- Asian Record: 2:01.81 by Liu Zige (CHN) in 2009
- Chinese National Record: 2:01.81 by Liu Zige (CHN) in 2009
Top 8: [Details not provided in original; assuming placeholders or to be filled as per source]
MEN’S 200M INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY – SEMI-FINAL
- World Record: 1:52.69 by Leon Marchand (FRA) in 2025
- Asian Record: 1:54.62 by Wang Shun (CHN) in 2023
- Chinese National Record: 1:54.62 by Wang Shun (CHN) in 2023
Top 8: [Details not provided in original; assuming placeholders or to be filled as per source]
MIXED MEDLEY RELAY – FINAL
- World Record: 3:37.43 by USA in 2024
- Asian Record: 3:37.55 by CHN in 2024
- Chinese National Record: 3:37.55 by CHN in 2024
Gold: [Not specified]
Silver: [Not specified]
Bronze: [Not specified]
In This Story
- Li Bingjie
- Siobhan Haughey
About Retta Race
Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) Race leads a bustling life, juggling an MBA, full-time IT work, and owning French 75 Boutique, while sharing swimming insights for BBC. Read more
What do you think—should international swimmers like Haughey be allowed to compete in national games, potentially overshadowing home talent? Or is this the beauty of global sports, fostering inspiration across borders? Share your take in the comments below; we'd love to hear your thoughts and spark a lively debate!
