Match Report for the 16th | Li Bingjie delivers a dominant performance to claim the championship—what a stunning upset that had the entire audience in awe!
💦 Women’s 50-meter butterfly: Zhang Yufei wins the gold medal while crying! Zhejiang team sweeps silver and bronze—what a show they put on!
Olympic champion Zhang Yufei has once again, yet again, and again claimed victory! She clocked a time of 25.61 seconds to win her second individual gold medal at this National Games. As the Asian record holder, she’s so consistently reliable it’s downright reassuring! Who would have thought that, right before the competition, she actually relieved her stress by having a good cry—and even joked that seeing “post-10s” athletes in her heat made her feel the overwhelming surge of the younger generation!
🏅 Women’s 800m Freestyle: Li Bingjie delivers a dominant, crushing performance! The Hebei team sweeps the top two spots—what an incredible display!
From the moment Li Bingjie stepped onto the pool deck, she was already radiating a “king’s aura”! With a reaction time of just 0.64 seconds after the starting gun fired, she burst out of the lane almost in sync with the splash of water. While keeping a low profile during the first 400 meters, she unleashed her full power after the 500-meter mark, entering a “unstoppable” mode that saw her steadily extend her lead lap by lap. In the final 50 meters, she sprinted at an astonishing pace of 29.62 seconds, clinching a commanding victory with a time of 8 minutes and 19.00 seconds—a margin of a full 8.34 seconds over the second-place finisher!
Even more remarkable was Hebei’s “money power”! The young athlete Gao Weizhong, born in the 2007 cohort, rose to the occasion under intense pressure and clinched third place with a time of 8 minutes and 29.94 seconds, sweeping the top three spots outright. The cheers from the Hebei fans in the venue nearly brought the entire arena crashing down!
🦋 Men’s 100m Butterfly: Post-00s Take Over the Podium! A Thrilling Finish by Just 0.06 Seconds—Your Heart Almost Stopped Mid-beat!
If the women’s 800-meter race was a sure thing, then the men’s 100-meter butterfly was “so thrilling it had everyone gripping the edges of their seats!” The top three all belonged to the post-2000 generation— the oldest was 23, and the youngest just 21. Tianjin’s Wang Changhao took an early lead with a time of 23.98 seconds in the first 50 meters, while Shandong’s Xu Fang unleashed a furious final sprint, clocking the fastest 27.39 seconds in the last 50 meters. Yet despite Xu’s blistering finish, Wang Changhao played it safe and steady, ultimately edging out his rival by a razor-thin margin of just 0.06 seconds, crossing the finish line in 51.40 seconds!
Chen Jun’er from Guangdong won the bronze medal with a time of 52.32 seconds. Although she was quite some distance behind the champion, as a promising 21-year-old athlete, her future looks bright!
🏊♀️ Women’s 200-meter backstroke: A 14-year-old prodigy makes a stunning debut! It’s so touching to see three generations—old, middle-aged, and young—competing on the same stage!
Who would have thought that another athlete born in the 2010s would once again step onto the podium! Tianjin’s young athlete Yang Ruoxi won the bronze medal in her very first National Games appearance. In the 50-meter split, she clocked an astonishing 29.90 seconds, topping the entire field—her explosive power was simply off the charts!
But as the saying goes, “The older ginger is still the spiciest!” Hubei’s Peng Xuwei relied on his dominant performance in the middle and later stages of the race, clocking a blistering 32.63 seconds in the 100- to 150-meter segment—the fastest time of the entire field—and successfully defended his title, becoming the first swimmer since 2010 to achieve back-to-back championships! Meanwhile, 26-year-old veteran Liu Yaxin staged a stunning comeback with a final 50-meter sprint of 32.42 seconds, securing the silver medal. The competition between swimmers from three different generations—spanning an age gap of 12 years—was not only a testament to the passing of the torch but also brimming with hope. Watching it left me utterly moved!
⚡ Men’s 50-meter freestyle: Hong Kong team’s dark horse pulls off an upset! The only man to swim under 22 seconds is simply amazing!
The “Flying Fish Battle” never fails to deliver surprises! Hong Kong athlete Ho Chun-to is undoubtedly tonight’s biggest dark horse—entering the finals firing on all cylinders. He unleashed his full explosive power in the first 25 meters, then executed precise strokes in the second half of the race, clinching a dominant victory with a time of 21.71 seconds. He became the only swimmer in the entire competition to break the 22-second barrier, just 0.05 seconds shy of the Asian record!
Chen Hao from the Liaoning team won the silver medal with a time of 22.17 seconds, while Pan Zhanle from the Zhejiang team and Liu Wudi from the Fujian team tied for the bronze medal, both clocking in at 22.21 seconds. Notably, Pan Zhanle, a “Grand Slam” winner in the 100-meter freestyle, narrowly advanced to the final from the semifinals by just 0.01 second—a thrilling comeback that showcased his all-around excellence! This competition not only marked the rise of the Hong Kong team but also highlighted the vibrant landscape of Chinese short-distance freestyle swimming: "veterans holding firm, rising stars breaking through!"
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