Yu Hexin Delivers Record in 50 Free at Chinese Nationals
While much of the world either remains limited from a competitive standpoint or is easing back into competition, the Chinese Nationals opened seven days of action on Saturday. Highlighting the opening day of the meet, which is being held in Qingdao, was Yu Hexin. The sprinter delivered a Chinese record in the preliminaries of the 50-meter freestyle, clocking 21.79. Although that time likely remains out of the realm of what will be needed to make the final of the event at next year’s Olympic Games, it is a positive performance for Yu and Chinese sprinting.
In addition to Yu’s national record, international stars Xu Jiayu and Ye Shiwen advanced to finals of their events. Xu qualified for the final of the 200 backstroke, thanks to an easy 2:00.54, while Ye advanced to the final of the 200 breaststroke.