Swimming World Junior Championships: Yang Peiqi Claims 400m Freestyle Title, Completing Her "Triple Crown" Achievement

18-year-old Yang Peiqi won the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay title at last year’s Doha World Championships, earning her the prestigious title of world champion—and this month, she secured third place in the same event at the Singapore World Championships.

On the opening day of the World Junior Championships on the 19th, Yang Peiqi, along with Yan Liaoshan, Gong Zhenqi, and Luo Mingyu, clinched the 4x200m freestyle relay title with a time of 7:51.59, narrowly beating the U.S. team to claim China's first-ever gold medal in this event at the championships—and marking a historic "first" for Chinese swimming in the World Junior Championships' relay events.

As a competitor who has continuously participated in three World Championships and the Hangzhou Asian Games, Yang Peiqi modestly admits she simply has a bit more race experience than her teammates. "Although my form isn’t at its peak right now, I hope to boost the confidence and inspire my teammates as we work together as a team. Today, swimming alongside Yan Liaoshan in adjacent lanes and standing side by side on the podium felt absolutely amazing," Yang Peiqi said happily.

On the podium, the two young girls deliberately shifted their original positions, standing close together as they sang the national anthem in unison and watched proudly as the flag was raised.

The men's 200m breaststroke final, held that evening, saw British swimmer Filip Nowacki claim victory with a meet-record time of 2:07.32, while Japan's Nobuhiro Ohashi finished second in 2:07.56. American swimmer Gabe Nunziata took bronze in 2:09.70, and China's Wang JunTeng tied for sixth place with a time of 2:11.89.

In the women's 200m individual medley final, American swimmer Audrey Derivaux claimed gold with a time of 2:10.58, while British athlete Amalie Smith took silver in 2:11.07. Japan's Sasak Shuna secured bronze at 2:11.84, and China's Zhou Yanjun finished fourth with a time of 2:12.47.

In the men's 4x200m freestyle relay final, Neutral Team B claimed victory with a time of 7:10.39, while Japan finished second in 7:12.47, and Italy took third place with 7:12.90. China placed fourth, clocking in at 7:15.77 (Xie Yichen: 1:49.11, Chen Shengxin: 1:49.25, Gu Enyi: 1:50.48, Xu Haibo: 1:46.93).

The Chinese swimming team sent a total of 19 young athletes, aged 14 to 18, to the World Junior Championships. So far, they’ve already secured 3 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze medal, placing third in the medal standings. The U.S. team currently leads with 7 gold, 4 silver, and 4 bronze medals.

This year's World Junior Swimming Championships in Romania has drawn over 900 athletes from 121 countries and regions, with all events set to conclude on the 24th.