China’s swimming sensation Pan Zhanle clinched his third gold medal at the National Swimming Championships in Shenzhen, south China’s Guangdong Province, on Monday, defeating three-time Olympic gold medalist Sun Yang in a thrilling 200-meter freestyle final.
The final was a star-studded affair featuring Olympic gold medalists Pan, Sun, and Wang Shun, along with world champions Zhang Zhanshuo and Ji Xinjie. Wang took an early lead, but Ji surged ahead at the 150-meter mark. Demonstrating his exceptional speed, Pan powered through in the last 50 meters to touch the wall first with a time of 1:45.45.
Zhang secured the silver medal, while Ji claimed bronze. Veteran swimmer Sun Yang, overcoming injury and the oldest athlete in the tournament, finished in eighth place. After the race, Pan and Sun shared a moment of mutual respect, congratulating each other on their performances.
“I only felt nervous and nothing else,” Pan said after his victory. “I focused on the details. I changed my strategy today by conserving my energy for the latter half. It’s truly an honor to compete alongside two Olympic gold medalists who are older than me.”
Sun expressed his satisfaction with his performance, saying, “I kept going until the end and I feel really happy with this event. I met my expectations, so many thanks to myself and others.”
In the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle, Li Bingjie from Hebei set a new tournament record by finishing first with a time of 15:43.94. Xu Jiayu won the men’s 100-meter backstroke in 52.49 seconds, while Wan Letian claimed gold in the women’s 100-meter backstroke with a time of 59.21 seconds.
Tang Qianting secured victory in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke. In the men’s 50-meter breaststroke semifinals, Qin Haiyang broke the event record with an impressive time of 26.54 seconds.
