The 2024 FINA Swimming World Cup in Shanghai concluded on the evening of October 20, with the Chinese swimming team, led by Olympic champions Pan Zhanle, Wang Shun, and Zhang Yufei, achieving remarkable results by securing 6 gold medals, 11 silver medals, and 7 bronze medals. The team also set a new short course world youth record and six short course Asian records.

Olympic champion Wang Shun broke the Asian record in the men’s 100m individual medley, while Qin Haiyang set new Asian records in the men’s 50m and 100m breaststroke. Yu Yiting also made waves by breaking the Asian record for the women’s 100m individual medley. Additionally, Shanghai’s own Tang Qianting shattered the Asian records in the women’s 50m and 100m breaststroke. At just 17 years old, Chen Luying set a new world youth record in the women’s 200m butterfly.

In the women’s 50m breaststroke final held that night, 20-year-old Tang Qianting clocked in at 28.76 seconds, breaking the Asian record and securing the championship. This achievement came right after her record-breaking performance in the women’s 100m breaststroke the previous night. Reflecting on her results, Tang noted, “I still have a slight regret.” Known for her explosive power, she felt confident in her starts and turns but acknowledged the need to improve her overall speed. “I have higher goals ahead; I’m getting closer to the world record in the women’s 100m breaststroke, and I want to set a record that belongs to me,” she added.

Meanwhile, Yu Yiting had a busy schedule, competing in four events, including the women’s 200m individual medley and the women’s 100m butterfly, where she earned silver medals in both. In addition to these, she also secured silver and bronze in the women’s 100m individual medley and 50m butterfly, respectively. She set a new Asian record for the women’s 100m individual medley. Looking back on her performance at the event, Yu expressed satisfaction but also a desire for improvement, saying, “I’m quite happy with my results, but I had hoped to break into the top three. I know the competition is fierce, and I’ll need to work on winning individual events in the upcoming competitions.”

Yu competed in four intense heats, finding the challenge exhausting but essential. “Honestly, I was very tired this morning because we finished late last night, and I didn’t get much sleep. But in international competitions, it’s normal to have less sleep,” she admitted.

On October 19, during the second day of the event, Zhang Yufei earned a silver medal in the women’s 50m butterfly final with a time of 24.94 seconds. This competition marked the first international appearance for the Chinese swimming team in the lead-up to the Los Angeles Olympic Games. Speaking about her ambitions, Zhang said, “I want to develop as a technical swimmer. Right now, I’m focusing on finding training methods suitable for my age while refining my techniques further.”

Having previously won 1 silver and 5 bronze medals at the Paris Olympics, Zhang aimed for victory in the women’s 50m freestyle and butterfly events in Shanghai, where she claimed silver in both. Rather than labeling her performance purely in terms of medals, Zhang deemed this competition as a pragmatic stepping stone after transitioning back into intensive training. “For this event, I just wanted to execute the underwater kicking techniques I’ve learned,” she remarked.

Overall, the event showcased the unique stories and ambitions of each athlete, with both moments of joy and small disappointments. As Pan Zhanle put it, “No one is perfect, and no one wins every competition. I think imperfections are part of the journey; the unpredictability of competitive sports is what makes it so exciting.”