Swimming World Junior Championships Recap: On the first day, China defeated the U.S. team to claim their first-ever relay gold medal, while Xu Haibo secured a bronze in the men’s 400m freestyle.

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In the early hours of August 20, Beijing time, the Chinese team—composed of Yan Liao-shan, Gong Zhen-qi, Luo Ming-yu, and Yang Pei-qi—powered past the U.S. squad to claim gold in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay final, clocking a remarkable time of 7:51.59.Securing the first gold medal of this year's World Junior Championships also marked China's swimming team's historic breakthrough, clinching their very first relay gold at the event. This achievement comes as a significant milestone, bringing them one step closer to their long-standing goal.World Youth Championship RecordJust 0.12 seconds separated the competitors. Notably, Yang Peiqi delivered a stunning comeback in the final 100 meters of the last leg, clinching the victory decisively.

Among the four finalists, Gong Zhenqi, a Chongqing girl born in 2009, and Yang Peiqi, a Hubei native born in 2007, are current members of the national team. Yang PeiqiShe is another outstanding athlete specializing in middle- and long-distance freestyle events, following Li Bingjie.Recently at the Singapore World Swimming Championships, she and her teammates clinched the bronze medal in the women’s 4×200m freestyle relay final. Earlier last year, at the 2024 Doha World Championships, Yang Peiqi teamed up with Li Bingjie, Gong Zhenqi, and Ai Yanhan to claim the gold medal in the same event.

The women's 4x200m freestyle relay has long been a traditional strength for the Chinese team—back in 2009 at the World Championships in Rome, China already claimed the gold. At the recent World Championships in Singapore, the Chinese team secured a bronze medal. And four years ago at the Tokyo Olympics, China's women's squad even went on to win the gold in this event (with Tang Muhan, Li Bingjie, Zhang Yufei, and Yang Junxuan).). The Chinese team won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.