Youth inspires wave of optimism

陈小将

Entering the first year of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle, the Chinese swimming team cemented its unrivaled dominance in Asia by claiming 28 gold medals with a streamlined 11-member squad at the 11th Asian Aquatics Championships.

The year also saw the enduring excellence of such veterans as Wang Shun and Xu Jiayu, alongside record-breaking feats from teenage prodigies like Yu Zidi.

However, the team suffered a decline at the 22nd World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, securing just two golds — down from five at the previous edition in Fukuoka, Japan in 2023 — a result which exposed the gap with such global powerhouses as the United States and Australia.

At the Singapore championships, China's Qin Haiyang claimed the team's two golds in the men's 100m and 200m breaststroke. These victories helped him renew his confidence and shake off the disappointment of his individual performances at the Paris Olympics.

"I think I did a good job. I am most satisfied that I stayed calm under pressure and performed to my current limit. These wins in a tough year have given me strong confidence for the new cycle," said Qin, who also added a bronze in the men's 50m breaststroke.

In the women's 400m freestyle final, 23-year-old Li Bingjie overtook American star Katie Ledecky in the closing moments to take silver with a time of 3:58.21, setting a new Asian record. It was her first-ever victory over Ledecky.

"This win (over Ledecky) means a lot to me," she said afterward.

Li also claimed silver in the 200m freestyle, unleashing a powerful final 20-meter surge to finish in 1:54.52.

The relay teams added two silver medals to the tally. The men's 4x200m freestyle quartet of Ji Xinjie, Pan Zhanle, Wang Shun, and Zhang Zhanshuo broke the Asian record in 7:00.91, while the mixed 4x100m medley team of Xu Jiayu, Qin Haiyang, Zhang Yufei and Wu Qingfeng also finished second.