The waters of the at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre Aquatics Stadium had barely stopped boiling after a World record 20.88 from Cameron McEvoy in the 50m freestyle before his Australia teammate and fellow Olympic champion Mollie O'Callaghan reinforced her World No1 status in the 200m freestyle in 1:53.52 at the China Open.

On this day, March 20...

McEvoy joins fellow Australian, breaststroke queen Leisel Jones, and American backstroke king Aaron Peirsol, in the club of those who set World records on the same date throughout history:

Cameron McEvoy - 20.88 World Record 50m Free - Cielo’s 2009 Shiny Suit Standard Sunk

At The China Open in Shenzhen, Australian Olympic and World 50m freestyle champion has cracked the 20.91 global mark set by Brazil’s Cesar Cielo in the dying days of the short-lived shiny suits crisis in 2009

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Timeline

On This Day In History - Pace-Setters Peirsol & Jones Make Their Mark

Timeline - The SOS Daily Trawl of official World long-course records (plus all pre 1954 standards, all pools and metrics) set this day throughout history.

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

More From Mollie In A Masterclass Of 200 Racing

A match of her fifth best 200m ever, then win marked O'Callaghan's ninth time inside 1:54 since she first went that way, and under 1:53, in 2023 for her first World title in the event, at Fukuoka 2023, two years before she retained the crown at Singapore 2025 a year after lifting the Olympic title in Paris.

In China today, O'Callaghan, coached by Dean Boxall, had put a second between her feet and those of Siobhan Haughey by the half-way turn.

Women's 200m freestyle

The Splits:

• 26.52; 55.12 (28.60); 1:24.55 (29.43); 1:53.52 (28.97).

The race featured 14-year-old Fan Yaqi, on 1:57.23.

The trend for Chinese swimmers to be trained to fast speeds at very young ages - particularly noticeable among girls, though there were some examples among boys, too, was on full display in the women's 200m breaststroke.

There was not doubting the winner: Olympic champion Kate Douglass, of the USA, on 2:21.03, more than 3sec up on 15-year-old Lu Sanyao, with World-championships medallist Kaylene Corbett third. There were were also two swimmers under 2:28 who, in order of their finishing places, 4th and 7th, turn 15 and 14 this year. Almost veterans, you might say: last in the final was Dong Meihan, on 2:32.24. She is still 11.

The topic was a daily one at the Singapore 2025 World Championships last year, courtesy of ...

Yu Zidi, 12.

Who’s Yu? We Take A Look As Zidi, 12, Swiftest Pre-Teen In History, Makes China’s World-Titles Team

As Yu Zidi, the 12-year-old swim sensation, heads into the 400m medley on the last day at Chinese Championships, we take a look at just how off-the-chart her speed is for one so young

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Her Three 4th Places at Singapore 2025:

200 'Fly

W200 Butterfly: McIntosh Delivers The Best ‘Imperfect’ 200 ’Fly Swim In History For Her Third Gold - 2:01.99

Summer McIntosh’s arrow having missed its WR target today, she fired an expletive into the bubbles beneath her breath before hooking her arms over the lane line and covering her face with her hands. Fuel to the fire

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

200IM:

W200IM: McIntosh Leads Maple 1-3 Punch With Harvey, Alex Walsh With A Silver Lining - & Yu As Fast As The Champ Last Length 0.06 Shy Of Medal

″ I’m not super happy with the time, but honestly, at a world championships, my goal is just to go as fast as I can against my competitors. Still happy with the gold and hoping to keep up my streak next time.” - Summer McIntosh

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

400IM

W400IM: McIntosh’s Record Margin Of Victory Lands Pioneering 4 Golds & A Bronze

“I think it was very obvious that my goal was five golds. Time just didn’t matter. I just wanted to get my hand on the wall first five times. I fell short ... but I think it’ll keep me hungry ... Even if I were to get five golds, I would still want more. That’s just my mentality.” - Summer McIntosh

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

And a medal at 12 as the first under-14 to claim a senior World-championship podium:

W4x200Free: O’Callaghan Matches Thorpe Tally On Latest Dolphins Triumph

Without the profanities, I was pretty much was saying to Mollie ‘Do you know who you are?’ And I think when you’ve had the former world record, and you’ve won the world championship the day before going in. Even in my mind, as soon as Mollie dives in, I know we’ve won it” - Lani Pallister

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

More Yu:

China’s Yu Zidi, The First 12-Year-Old Ever In A Global Title Tilt Tonight, Is Too Young To Hold World Junior Records

A rider on the age limit on swimmers competing at the World Championships is under scrutiny on the day a pre-teen prepares to race in a World-title fight for the first time in history

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Meanwhile, in Shenzhen, Haughey had already taken gold before heading into the 200m final. In 24.41, she topped the dash 0.01sec ahead of China's Cheng Yujie, with Americans Kate Douglass and Gretchen Walsh making it four women on 24.4:

• RESULTS IN FULL (Chinese names in Chinese on official results - all finals listed in full in English below).