Li Bingjie Leads Five Asian Records to Fall at Chinese Championships
Li Bingjie lowered the Asian record in the women’s 1,500 freestyle as part of a record onslaught at the Chinese Championships.
Zhang Yufei, Zhang Zhanshuo and Xu Jiayu added marks at the short-course meet in Beijing this week. That was in addition to Xu’s world record in the men’s 50 backstroke to start the meet.
Li clocked in at 15:34.09 in Beijing. That obliterates her previous national mark of 15:42.80 from the 2022 Chinese Championships. Singapore’s Gan Ching Hwee had lowered the Asian record to 15:38.41 earlier this month.
Zhang Yufei went 54.87 to win the women’s 100 butterfly. It was her fourth medal of the competition, to go with golds in the 100 individual medley and 50 fly. It lowered the continental record of 55.17 set earlier this month by countrywoman Yu Yiting. Yu had swum that time at the World Aquatics World Cup stop in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Zhang Zhanshuo has continued a strong fall that saw him set the Asian mark in the long-course 200 free at the Asian Games. He added a time of 7:28.61 in the 800 free in the short pool.
That continues a rapid intensification of that record this fall. The Asian record had been Shogo Takeda’s 7:33.78 from 2022. Kaito Tabuchi chipped a second off of that by going 7:32.76 on Oct. 10 at the Japanese Championships, and Zhang has taken it more than four seconds lower.
Xu reset the world record in the 50 back with his time of 22.03. He went 48.77 to win the 100 back and improve his record of 48.88 from all the way back in 2018, then went even lower off the front of the 400 medley relay with a leg of 48.54. He teamed with Xie Yichen, Lu Yue and Liu Yaxin to win gold for Zhejiang Province in 3:36.00.
Yu Zidi, who turned 14 this month, won the 400 IM in 4:27.34. Xu Fang captured the men’s 100 fly in 49.47. Pan Zhanle showed his sprint breadth by beating Wang Shun in the men’s 100 IM with a time of 51.44 seconds, .18 up on the Olympic gold medalist Wang. Xie set the national junior record by finishing third in 52.49, the teen one to watch for the future.