World Championships, Day Six Finals: Qin Haiyang Strikes Again with 200 Breaststroke Gold
Chinese world-record holder Qin Haiyang defended his title in the 200-meter breaststroke on Day Six of the World Championships in Singapore. After taking gold in the 100-meter breaststroke earlier this week, he added another title in his signature event, and walked away with medals in all of the breaststroke disciplines.
Despite barely squeaking into the final, Qin rose to the occasion when it mattered most. His patience paid off in the final, as he sat in fourth at the 100-meter mark, but moved up to third by the 150. Down the last length, Qin surged past the field to take gold. He didn’t allow swimming in Lane Eight to shake his confidence. Instead, he embraced the challenge.
“That’s so amazing,” he said. “Have you heard of the Lane Eight miracle? You saw it tonight.”
Reflecting further on his performance, he added:
“I didn’t think about this happening. I mentioned yesterday that my form is not at my peak, and I still need to strategize my races more. But I didn’t think too much about it today. Making the final is already a good result for me, so I just came and gave it my all.”
Qin touched in 2:07.41, two seconds behind his 2023 world record, but still fast enough to reclaim his crown. The victory adds to an already historic résumé. At the 2023 World Championships, he became the first man to sweep all three breaststroke events (50, 100, and 200). This week, he managed to stand on the podium in all three events, a bronze medal in the 50 breaststroke the only thing keeping him from another sweep.
Still, he remained focused on progress over medals.
“I don’t think this is enough,” Qin said. “For me, what’s more important than a gold medal is to be able to have a good result. Before I came to Singapore, I wanted to swim a 2:07, or 2:06. Today’s result is still the best I’ve done this year. It’s a small improvement, but it’s still something I should be proud of.”
Finishing in second place was Japan’s Ippei Watanabe in a time of 2:07.70, followed closely by Caspar Corbeau of the Netherlands, who claimed bronze in 2:07.73.
Watanabe shared his frustrations with his second-place finish.
“It’s my first medal in six years. I thought I would be happier, but all I feel is frustration,” he said. “Honestly, I could have won. It was a race I had to win. Qin Haiyang didn’t look like he was in particularly good shape, to be honest, but he made it into the final in the outside lane, finishing eighth in the semifinals, and I found that unsettling. I figured he would go all-out from Lane Eight in a do-or-die kind of race, and while I was focused on swimming my own race, losing to Qin is what frustrates me most.”
Kirill Prigoda (2:07.99) of Russia was the fourth-place finisher while American A.J. Pouch was fifth. Pouch was in the lead at the 150-meter mark and touched the wall in 2:09.13.
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