Results from the National Spring Swimming Championships on the 21st: Zhang Zhanshuo wins his third gold medal.

The 2025 National Spring Swimming Championships concluded on March 21 in Qingdao, Shandong, with competition across four events. Young athlete Zhang Zhanshuo from the Shandong team claimed victory in the men's 200m individual medley final, earning his third gold medal of the meet.

Before the men’s 200m individual medley, Zhang Zhanshuo had already claimed gold medals in the men’s 1500m freestyle and the men’s 200m butterfly. In tonight’s competition, the young athlete—whose momentum has been clearly on the rise—swam a time of 1:58.59, securing the gold medal with an impressive lead and setting a new personal best in the event. Zhejiang’s rising star Xie Yichen and Guangdong’s Deng Ziqi finished second and third, respectively.

The photo shows Zhang Zhanshuo during the competition. Photo by Tian Yuhao, China News Service.

Veteran He Junyi clinched the men's 100m freestyle title with a time of 48.44 seconds, earning Zhejiang Team their first-ever men's gold medal at this year's Spring Championships. Wang Haoyu from Henan and Chen Jun'er from Guangdong took home the silver and bronze medals, respectively.

The world record for the men's 100-meter freestyle, set at 46.40 seconds, is currently held by Zhejiang athlete Pan Zhanle. After the race, He Junyi shared that he once thought finishing in under 47 seconds was an unattainable dream—but Pan Zhanle’s remarkable performance has inspired him to push beyond age-related limitations and boost his confidence. Moving forward, He plans to focus primarily on the 50-meter freestyle while aiming to break the 48-second mark in the 100-meter event.

Women's competition arenaOn the podium, Fujian's Chen Luying clinched the women’s 200m butterfly gold with a time of 2:07.30, while Guangdong’s Yu Liyan took home the silver medal in 2:08.19. Yu Yiting finished fourth.

After the competition, Yu Liyan said that her high-altitude winter training had been exceptionally thorough, and she achieved her best result in nearly two years during this final event. Speaking about the 15th National Games, which will be held at home later this year, Yu Liyan expressed her hope to keep improving with each upcoming meet. She plans to focus primarily on the 200-meter butterfly but also intends to explore other events.

The women's 1500m freestyle gold medal was won by Liuyaxin from the Zhejiang team, who clocked a time of 16:08.44—a new personal best in this event for her.

On the 22nd, the Spring Championships will crown six gold medalists in the men's 50m butterfly, 200m breaststroke, and 800m freestyle, as well as in the women's 50m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, and 400m freestyle. Olympic champions Qin Haiyang, Sun Jiajun, and Ye Shiwen will once again take center stage.