By Retta Race on SwimSwam
2025 CHINESE NATIONAL GAMES
- Monday, November 10th – Monday, November 17th (swimming)
- Shenzhen, China
- LCM (50m)
- Prelims at 9am local (8pm previous night ET)/Finals at 7pm local (6am ET)
- Meet Central
- Results
The 15th Chinese National Games kicked off today, with the prestigious multi-sport competition featuring swimming action from Monday, November 10th, to Monday, November 17th, in Shenzhen.
Hong Kong and Macau are also hosting various disciplines throughout the production, with 2025 marking the first time in the history of the quadrennial Games that it is co-hosted by multiple provinces.
According to The South China Morning Post, more than 22,000 representatives from 73 organisations, including provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, special administrative regions, industry sports associations and universities, have registered to compete at the National Games.
Right off the bat, we’re expecting to see some explosive swims at the hands of some of China’s best athletes, including Qin Haiyang, Li Bingjie and once-banned Olympic champion Sun Yang.
Qin was the sole sub-minute performer in the heats of the men’s 100m breaststroke, casually clocking 59.25. 200m breast world champion from 2024 Dong Zhihao was over a second behind in 1:00.54 as the 2nd-seeded swimmer. Yan Zibei rounded out the top three with an AM effort 1:00.66.
Li led the women’s 400m freestyle heats with a time of 4:07.16 but Liu Yaxin and Li Jiaping are both in the hunt, registering morning swims of 4:07.60 and 4:07.79, respectively.
100m freestyle Olympic champion and world record holder Pan Zhanle dove in for the men’s edition of the 400m free, capturing the 5th seed in 3:51.64. Sun turned in a time of 3:52.90 for the 8th seed, with both men chasing leader Xu Haibo who logged the top-seeded performance of 3:49.60.
Refresh this post often as we report on this evening’s final and semi-final results.
MEN’S 400 FREE – FINAL
- World Record – 3:39.96, Lukas Märtens (GER), 2025
- Asian Record – 3:40.14, Sun Yang (CHN), 2012
- CHN Record – 3:40.14, Sun Yang, 2012
GOLD – Zhang Zhanshuo (CHN), 3:42.82 *World Junior Record
SILVER – Xu Haibo (CHN), 3:47.73
BRONZE – Fei Liwei (CHN), 3:47.91
The men’s 400m freestyle started off this finals session with a huge bang as 18-year-old Zhang Zhanshuo fired off a new World Junior Record of 3:42.82 en route to gold.
The teen was far and away ahead of the field, as Xu Haibo was next to the wall nearly 5 seconds back in 3:47.73 followed by Fei Liwei who captured bronze in 3:47.91.
Zhang’s monster time of 3:42.82 overwrote the former official WJR of 3:44.37 Bulgarian Petar Mitsin put on the books in 2023.
However, Zhang held the unofficial WJR with the 3:42.99 he unleashed just this past September at the Chinese Nationals. Prior to that, Zhang’s career-swiftest outing rested at the 3:44.82 notched at this year’s World Championships. There in Singapore, Zhang ultimately placed 5th.
His effort this evening now ranks him as China’s 3rd-swiftest men’s 400m free swimmer of all time.
China’s Top 5 Men’s LCM 400 Freestyle Performers All-Time
- Sun Yang – 3:40.14, 2012
- Zhang Lin – 3:41.35, 2009
- Zhang Zhanshuo – 3:42.82, 2025
- Fei Liwei – 3:44.24, 2024
- Hao Yun – 3:44.87, 2013
This caliber of performance is par for the course for rising Zhang. At the 2023 World Championships, he became the fastest-ever 16-year-old 400m IM performer (4:12.44) before Japan’s Raito Numata overtook the crown (4:12.10) earlier this year.
At the 2024 World Championships, he helped China take gold in both the men’s 4x100m free and 4x200m free relays before also reaping silver on the men’s 4x200m free relay in Singapore.
Also in tonight’s final was 100m freestyle world record holder and Olympic champion Pan Zhanle who hit 3:48.93 for 5th place. Once-banned Olympic champion and reigning national record holder Sun Yang settled for 6th place in a time of 3:49.53.
WOMEN’S 100 FLY – SEMI-FINALS
- World Record – 54.60, Gretchen Walsh (USA), 2025
- Asian Record – 55.62, Zhang Yufei (CHN), 2020
- CHN Record – 55.62, Zhang Yufei, 2020
Top 8:
- Zhang Yufei – 57.22
- Wang Jingzhuo – 58.20
- Zhou Xinyang – 58.24
- Gong Zhenqi – 58.66
- Lu Yue – 58.71
- Yang Wang Shiya – 58.72
- Jiang Yuyao – 58.78
- Wang Yichun – 58.84
Zhang Yufei, a six-time Olympic medalist in Paris, easily grabbed the top spot in the women’s 100m butterfly, posting the sole time of the field under the 58-second barrier.
27-year-old Zhang registered 57.22 to get the job done, splitting 26.34/30.88 in the process.
The next-closest competitor was Wang Jingzhuo who snagged the 2nd seed in 58.20 followed closely by Zhou Xinyang who will also flank Zhang in tomorrow night’s main event with a semi-final outing of 58.24.
The rest of the pack is separated by just .18, making the battle for the minor medals a ‘must see’.
As a reminder, Zhang owns the current Asian and Chinese national records with her lifetime best of 55.62 from 2020. She just missed the podium this year in Singapore, placing 4th in 56.47.
MEN’S 50 FLY – SEMI-FINALS
- World Record – 22.27, Andrii Govorov (UKR), 2018
- Asian Record – 22.93, Joseph Schooling (SGP), 2017
- CHN Record – 23.25, Wang Changhao, 2023
Top 8:
- Wang Changhao – 23.39
- Xu Fang – 23.41
- Zhang Qiye – 23.58
- Shen Jiahao – 23.65
- Wu Shengkai – 23.67
- Liu Wudi – 23.70 & Chen Juner 23.70
- –
- Wang Xizhe – 23.77
China’s national record holder in this men’s 50m fly wasted no time making his presence known, with Wang Changhao securing the top seed with a solid swim of 23.39.
That result is already within striking distance of the Chinese standard of 23.25 he established two years ago.
Xu Fang will be hot pursuit, positioned just .02 back in 23.41. The rest of the field is also ready to rumble, separated by just .19.
Of note, Sun Jiajun missed making the top 8, mustering 24.11 this morning, well off his personal best of 23.41 from the 2023 Chinese National Championshps. Yu Hexin, China’s 3rd-fastest man ever with a PB of 23.37 will also be missing from tomorrow night’s medal-contesting race.
WOMEN’S 400 FREE – FINAL
- World Record – 3:54.18, Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2025
- Asian Record – 3:58.21, Li Bingjie (CHN), 2025
- CHN Record – 3:58.21, Li Bingjie, 2025
GOLD – Li Bingjie, 4:01.17
SILVER – Yang Peiqi, 4:01.90
BRONZE – Liu Yaxin, 4:03.20
23-year-old national record holder Li Bingjie grabbed the women’s 400m freestyle gold, producing a time of 4:01.17.
Li was chasing Yang Peiqi through the first 200m before she began outsplitting the 18-year-old to ultimately gain the lead and remain there to the wall.
Yang settled for silver in 4:01.90 and Liu Yaxin rounded out the podium in 4:03.20.
Li’s PB stands at the 3:58.21 Asian record she ripped en route to claiming bronze at this year’s World Championships. Entering that competition, Li’s PB and Asian Record stood at the 3:59.99 she put up at the 2025 Chinese National Championships in May. That previous performance represented the ace’s first-ever time under the 4:00 barrier, becoming just the 6th woman ever to do so.
Teenage Yang’s outing here is a new lifetime best, overtaking her previous PB of 4:02.53 established in May of this year. She now becomes China’s 2nd-swiftest performer of all time.
Top 5 Chinese Women’s LCM 400 Freestyle Performers All-Time
- Li Bingjie – 3:58.21, 2025
- Yang Peiqi – 4:01.90, 2025
- Tang Muhan – 4:01.95, 2021
- Chen Qian – 4:02.35, 2009
- Liu Yaxin – 4:02.57, 2025
MEN’S 100 BREAST – SEMI-FINALS
- World Record – 56.88, Adam Peaty (GBR), 2019
- Asian Record – 57.69, Qin Haiyang (CHN), 2023
- CHN Record – 57.69, Qin Haiyang (CHN), 2023
Top 8:
- Qin Haiyang – 59.20
- Yan Zibei – 59.79
- Dong Zhihao – 1:00.13
- Zheng Yinghao – 1:00.20
- Wang Junteng – 1:00.38
- Mai Shiting – 1:00.44
- Liu Junjie – 1:00.54
- Qiu Tian – 1:00.67
The men’s 100m breaststroke semi-finalists held their cards closely to their chests this evening, with just two swimmers delving into sub-minute territory.
Asian record holder Qin Haiyang set himself apart from the field with a speedy effort of 59.20.
Former national record holder Yan Zibei captured the 2nd seed in 59.79 while 2024 200m breaststroke world champion Dong Zhihao earned the 3rd seed in 1:00.13.
We’ve seen Qin go as fast as his NR of 57.69 from two years ago and he topped the podium this year in Singapore with an impressive 58.23 so we know the 23-year-old has more in the tank once the medals are on the line.
WOMEN’S 200 IM – SEMI-FINALS
- World Record – 2:05.70, Summer McIntosh (CAN), 2025
- Asian Record – 2:07.57, Ye Shiwen (CHN), 2012
- CHN Record – 2:07.57, Ye Shiwen, 2012
Top 8:
- Yu Zidi – 2:11.88
- Yu Yiting – 2:11.96
- Chang Mohan – 2:12.88
- Ke Wenxi – 2:13.07
- Yang Ruoxi – 2:13.67
- Qu Jianing – 2:14.00
- Gong Zhenqi – 2:14.49
- Ren Jianmiao – 2:14.76
13-year-old prodigy Yu Zidi stole the show in tonight’s women’s 200m IM semi-finals, reaping the pole position with an outing of 2:11.88.
At 12 years of age this year in Singapore, Yu became the youngest swimmer ever to make a final and win a medal at a World Championships.
In addition to placing 4th across the 200m fly, 200m IM and 400m IM events, Yu grabbed bronze as a result of swimming in the prelims of the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay with the final squad ultimately placing 3rd.
Yu’s 2IM time in Singapore was 2:09.21; therefore, we expect the teen to shave off major time for tomorrow night’s final.
But 20-year-old Yu Yiting won’t go down quietly, posting a time tonight just .08 off Yu’s mark.
Chang Mohan (2:12.88), Ke Wenxi (2:13.07) and Yang Ruoxi (2:13.67) are also among those in the mix.
WOMEN’S 4×100 FREE RELAY – FINAL
- World Record – 3:27.96 (AUS), 2023
- Asian Record – 3:30.30 (CHN), 2024
- CHN Record – 3:30.30 (CHN), 2024
GOLD – Shandong Province, 3:36.51
SILVER – Zhejiang Province, 3:36.61
BRONZE – Hebei Province, 3:38.90
It was a fierce battle tonight between Shandong and Zhejiang provinces, with each women’s 4x100m free squad trying to vie for the coveted gold.
Ultimately, it was Shandong who topped the podium, albeit by just .10.
Below are the splits for these top two performing teams, with Yang Junxuan firing off a head-turning anchor of 52.65 to seal the victory.
| Shandong – 3:36.51 | Zhejiang – 3:36.61 |
| Ge Chutong – 54.83 | Zhu Menghui – 55.15 |
| Wang Yichun – 54.01 | Yu Yiting – 54.08 |
| Zhang Xinyu – 55.02 | Liu Yaxin – 53.90 |
| Yang Junxuan – 52.65 | Wu Qingfeng – 53.48 |
MEN’S 4×100 FREE RELAY – FINAL
- World Record – 3:08.24 (USA), 2008
- Asian Record – 3:10.88 (CHN), 2023
- CHN Record – 3:10.88 (CHN), 2023
GOLD – Zhejiang Province, 3:15.01
SILVER – Henan Province, 3:15.47
BRONZE – China Public Security Sports Association, 3:16.14
The combination of He Junyi, Wang Shun, Shen Jiahao and Pan Zhanle collectively stopped the clock at 3:15.01 to garner Zhejiang the men’s 4x100m free relay gold.
He opened in 48.96, with Wang clocking 49.10 on the 2nd leg. Shen continued momentum with 49.02 before Pan notched an anchcor of 48.02 to earn the top spot on the podium.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2025 Chinese National Games: Day One Finals Live Recap
