Reporter Huai Xiao Intern Liu Xiaolu
What kind of surprise will "Butterfly Queen" Zhang Yufei bring in the final battle of the year? hair
From December 10th to 15th, the 2023 National Swimming Championships will be staged in the swimming pool of Jinan Olympic Sports Center. As the trials of the 2024 Doha Swimming World Championships and the Paris Olympic Games, this event is the most important local single event in China swimming this year, and it is also the final work of the China Swimming Army in 2023.
At that time, China’s top swimmers will gather in Quancheng, and Qin Haiyang, Wang Shun, Zhang Yufei, Yang Junxuan, Xu Jiayu, Pan Zhanle and Li Bingjie will show their elegance in Quancheng Jinan. This weekend, come to the Olympic Sports Center to see the flying people in the swimming pool!
The "frog king" returned with honor.
Male model debuts
The rise of China Swimming Army in 2023 has a great relationship with Qin Haiyang. In October this year, he just won the title of Best Male Swimmer of the Year of the World Swimming Federation, which is the first time that China athletes have won this honor.
Being recognized by FINA shows that Qin Haiyang’s performance is brilliant enough. This year, he won 23 gold medals in Fukuoka World Championships, Chengdu Universiade, Hangzhou Asian Games and FINA World Cup, creating a myth in breaststroke.
In this national swimming championship, Qin Haiyang signed up for three individual events: 50-meter breaststroke, 100-meter breaststroke and 200-meter breaststroke, and will appear at Jinan Olympic Sports Center on the 10th, 12th and 14th.
For Qin Haiyang, the stage of the National Swimming Championships is no stranger. As early as 2018, he won the 200-meter breaststroke championship. This time again, Qin Haiyang is expected to achieve all the gold medals.
Wang Shun, the big brother in the swimming corps, has maintained a high competitive level for many years. In this national swimming championship, Wang Shun signed up for the individual events of 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly and 200m individual medley. There are so many events that he can be called a "model worker."
Wang Shun and Jinan Swimming Pool are old acquaintances. In 2019, Wang stood on the FINA World Cup Jinan Station, but missed the championship medal. After four years, Wang Shun will never allow himself to be disappointed when he returns to Jinan again.
Xu Jiayu, who set a new record of 52.23 seconds in the men’s 100m backstroke at the Hangzhou Asian Games, will also compete in the 100m backstroke and 400m freestyle at the Jinan Olympic Sports Center.
Of course, the new generation also has strong players. For example, at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, Pan Zhanle, who opened the 100-meter 47-second mark in men’s freestyle, will make an all-round attack in five events: 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 200m backstroke.
For Pan Zhanle, swimming is a simple matter of "jumping into the water and winning". This makes people wonder, how fast can he swim this time?
"Butterfly Queen" outshines others.
Can the veteran still eat?
This year, the only female swimmer in China can compete with Qin Haiyang, only "Butterfly Queen" Zhang Yufei, both of whom won 23 gold medals in this year’s international competition.
In this national swimming championship, Zhang Yufei will participate in five individual events, including women’s 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 100m butterfly and 200m butterfly. With a total of six days’ schedule, Zhang Yufei will play in the preliminary and final matches on five competition days (December 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th and 15th).
Zhang Yufei, 25, has entered the second half of her career, but at present, no matter which event she plays, she has the ability to win all the gold medals, and her competitive state is excellent.
Besides Zhang Yufei, the most surprising thing this year is the strong return of veteran Ye Shiwen.
At the London Olympic Games in 2012, Ye Shiwen was crowned as the "double champion" of women’s 200m individual medley and 400m individual medley, reaching a peak in her sports career. However, after that, she was affected by injury and illness, and fell into a trough, far from the public eye.
After that, Ye Shiwen retired, came back, retired again and came back again, and never stayed away from swimming. At this year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou, Ye Shiwen won one gold and one silver, announcing his return. In this competition, Ye Shiwen will appear in the 100m breaststroke, 200m freestyle and 400m individual medley. Today, Ye Shiwen is still competitive in medley and breaststroke.
In addition, Li Bingjie, Yu Yiting and other new generations will also appear in Quancheng. Among them, Li Bingjie signed up for five events: 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 1500m freestyle and 200m butterfly. At present, she has strong dominance in Asian women’s middle and long distance events.
Yu Yiting, who is only 18 years old, will compete in 11 events, such as the 200m individual medley, 100m butterfly and 50m breaststroke. This little girl with multi-line attack will also win more attention in Jinan Olympic Sports Center.
Fight at home
Qilu athletes strive for good results
For Shandong swimmers, what they are most looking forward to is undoubtedly Yang Junxuan, who plays at home.
This year, Yang Junxuan has not fought much, but his strength is still online. At the Asian Games in Hangzhou, Yang Junxuan won 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal, and achieved the best personal record in the 100-meter freestyle upstream, showing an excellent competitive state.
As a grand slam winner of Olympic Games, World Championships, Short-course World Championships, World Cup, Youth Olympic Games, Asian Games, National Games and Military Games, Yang Junxuan is not only the pride of Shandong, but also an indispensable member of China Swimming Army.
In Taiyuan Station, Shanxi Province, the National Swimming Championships in 2018, the fledgling Yang Junxuan won the women’s 100-meter freestyle championship. Now she is fighting at home, and her goal is more honor.
In this competition, Yang Junxuan will compete in 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle and 200m freestyle. As a short-distance swimmer, it goes without saying that 100m freestyle is her dominant event. In the 200-meter freestyle, Yang Junxuan’s performance has also made steady progress in recent years. At present, if she can maintain a good competitive state, it is not impossible to win gold at home.
In addition, Ji Xinjie will also participate in this national swimming championship. In recent years, Ji Xinjie’s performance is not excellent, but there is always a feeling of untimely birth.
Previously, in the field of men’s long-distance freestyle, Ji Xinjie, who is the best player in Asia at least, has been shrouded in the aura of Sun Yang and cannot shine his own light because of Sun Yang. In the 2017 National Games in Tianjin, Ji Xinjie won five silver medals in a row, which is an absolute "sad hero".
Now, Ji Xinjie, who is 26 years old, is a veteran of the China Swimming Army. This year, he won only the sixth place in the men’s 200m freestyle in the National Swimming Championships. This time at home, can Ji Xinjie hand over a satisfactory "answer sheet"? It is worth looking forward to.
Sprint to Paris
Can it bring surprises?
Due to FINA’s special schedule for the new World Championships (to be held in February next year) and to avoid being too close to the Asian Games, this year’s national championships will be held in mid-December. The specifications of this tournament are higher than in previous years, which is equivalent to the national championship. As a trial for the World Championships, no domestic active master was absent from this tournament.
This year’s competition is not only in line with the international competitions such as the World Championships and the Olympic Games, but also adopts the latest standards of FINA. Its purpose is to let the contestants test the training effect in the actual combat environment, and also to train for the World Championships in Doha and the Paris Olympic Games.
At present, the China Swimming Team still has great hope to surprise the Chinese people again in the World Championships and Olympic Games next year.
Among them, Qin Haiyang and Zhang Yufei are both in their prime and have the strength to compete for the gold medal; If Wang Shun and Xu Jiayu can adjust to the best condition, there is also hope to compete for medals.
After 00, represented by Yang Junxuan, Pan Zhanle, Li Bingjie and Yu Yiting, they also have the strength to compete for gold and silver in their respective advantageous projects through many competitions. Next year in Paris, they are expected to gain a more stable position in the national team.
Considering that Zhang Yufei and Qin Haiyang are among the best in the world, people will naturally look forward to next year’s World Championships in Doha and China Swimming in the Paris Olympic Games.