China Preparing to Challenge in All Relays at Paris Olympics

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Chinese butterflyer Zhang Yufei -- Photo Courtesy: Andrea Masini / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

China Preparing to Challenge in All Relays at Paris Olympics

It has been less than a week since Australia’s Daily Telegraph, the New York Times and German broadcaster ARD published stories revealing that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned heart medication just months before the Tokyo Olympics but escaped without suspension as China’s anti-doping authority (CHINADA) attributed the results to food contamination. Around the world, swimmers, coaches and others with a stake in the sport have chimed in with their opinions while the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has defended its stance supporting CHINADA.

But at the exact same time, many of those same swimmers have been competing at China’s National Championships and securing spots to race at the Paris Games this year. There has been zero indication that these athletes will receive any delayed suspensions, so we currently anticipate seeing them racing the world’s best swimmers in July and likely contending for a large medal haul.

At last year’s World Championships, China’s 16 medals and five golds were both third-most in the meet behind Australia and the United States. Breaststroker Qin Haiyang, butterflyer Zhang Yufei and freestyler Pan Zhanle are all established as medal favorites, with both men likely sitting in pole position in their best events two months out while holding world records. We should also expect plenty from China’s relays, almost all of which have achieved international success in recent major meets.

The country’s veteran-laden mixed 400 medley relay team won gold at last year’s World Championships and will enter Paris favored for the same top finish. If backstroker Xu Jiayu, a world champion in the 100-meter race in 2017 and 2019, can stay close enough to his rivals on the opening leg, Qin can build a lead on breaststroke before Zhang and Yang Junxuan bring it home, just like they did last year in Fukuoka.

China’s men, winners of one Olympic relay medal ever (an 800 free relay bronze in 2012), are set up brilliantly for Paris, with the men having almost broken the medley relay world record at last year’s Asian Games despite the country’s top butterflyer, Wang Changhao, falling well behind his international counterparts. Call that team co-favorites with the United States right now. Both freestyle relays, meanwhile, won gold at this February’s World Championships, albeit in watered-down fields with many top international stars prioritizing their Olympic preparation.

The women’s freestyle relays each won bronze at the 2023 Worlds behind Australia and the U.S., and the 400 free relay team was less than a half-second behind the Americans. Yang looks to be in much-improved form this year after clocking a Chinese-record time of 52.68 to win the event at Chinese Nationals, and Zhang, Wu Qingfeng and Cheng Yujie will join her on the relay. All have been either 53-low from a flat-start of 52-high on a relay.

Emerging Chinese breaststroker Tang Qianting — Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Perottino / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

That brings us to the women’s medley relay, a team with scary potential with Zhang, the reigning world champion in the 100 fly, swimming her best stroke and Yang anchoring. Tang Qianting is emerging as a breaststroke star, with her Asian-record time of 1:04.39 in the event this week making her the fourth-fastest woman in history. If she can maintain her speed for Paris, it’s not inconceivable that she could beat the United States breaststroke leg by one second and Australia by two.

Unfortunately for China, backstroke remains a weakness, with the top time at Nationals coming from Wan Letian at 59.02, nowhere close to the 57-second territory that Kaylee McKeown (Australia) and Regan Smith (USA) reach on a regular basis.

Be sure not to read too much into relay composites at this point in the season, especially with the Australian, American and Canadian teams yet to lay out their best efforts at selection meets. The pre-Paris landscape will become much clearer over the next two months, but unless something drastic changes with Chinese swimmers and their status for this summer, expect to hear plenty from the swimmers with red flags on their caps when medals are decided.

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