Olympic 100m champion Pan Zhanle claimed his fourth freestyle title in the penultimate day at Chinese Championships in Shenzhen with a 22.19 victory in the 50m ahead of training partner He Junyi, 22.23, and Chen Hao, 22.27.

Pan's efforts this week indicate that he is only partially rested to race, his 100m at 47.77, far from his jaw-dropping World record of 46.40 in Paris in conditions that slowed much of the rest of the field by an average of around half a second; his 200m at 1:45.45 and his 400m at 3:45.34.

The 100m is the only event on which Pan has delivered podium-pace times in global waters, at Olympic and World-Championship levels. His winning times in Shenzhen indicate that there has been little shift in that balance of threat in his speed across the spectrum of his four Chinese titles.

Pan was not alone in amassing four freestyle titles in Shenzhen this week. Li Bingjie's 8:20.68 victory in the 800m added to her victories in the 200m (1:55.52, career best), 400m (3:59.99 Asian record) and 1500m (career best 15:43.94). In the 800m, silver went to Yang Peiqi 8:26.06, the bronze to Ma Yonghui 8:28.57.

Day 7 witnessed a national record when Xu Jiayu matched his 24.38 best in the 50m backstroke semis.

In other finals, Chen Juner, one of the China-23-go-free caught up in the disputed mass contamination doping saga last year, leap-frogged three others on the all-time national rankings in the 100m butterfly, his 51.03 victory rattling the 50.96 at which Li Zhuhao has held the Chinese standard since 2017. 

Now all-time No2 in China, Juner, 21, entered this season with a career best of 51.72, from nationals a year ago. His age peer, Xu Fang, was another making progress, his 51.51 for silver lifting him from China No6 all-time to No4, inside his previous high of 51.83, also from the same event last year. The bronze went to Wang Xizhe, 19 this year and celebrating a debut sub-52 swim, in 51.86, 0.63 inside his best from September 2023.

In the women's 200m backstroke, Peng Xuwei renewed her national-champion status with a 2:07.63 victory over Liu Yaxin, 2:09.09, and Qian Xin'an, 2:10.45.

Wu Qingfeng took the 50m freestyle crown in 25.77, 0.03sec ahead of Wang Yichun's 25.80, Zhang Yufei right there with them in the reach for the wall, on  25.88 for bronze. Later in the session, Wu topped the 50n free semis in 24.56 a touch ahead of Cheng Yujie's 24.62.

In other semi-finals, Tang Qianting, after withdrawing from the 200m after heats two days ago, led the 50m breaststroke qualifiers in 30.01.

The session finished with the the Mixed Freestyle 4x100m relay, which delivered gold in a championship record of 3:24.14 for the powerhouse of Chinese swimming, Zhejiang (Shouxian Valley program), one which Sun Yang* represents.

Today's crew: He Junyi, 49.03; Pan Zhanle, 47.83; Wu Qingfeng, 53.39; and Yu Yiting, 53.89 - the last three all national champions in solo events this week.

RESULTS IN FULL

In other news

As WADA and its Athlete Council slam the Enhanced Games, athletes are out there offering their own condemnation. Olympic 50m free champion Cameron McEvoy, who is a former teammate and domestic rival of doping-games signee James Magnussen, called the EG a “circus”. Speaking to the Brisbane Times, McEvoy added:

“It doesn’t count in any way, shape or form when you take drugs or wear one of the banned suits, or both. It’s got no relevance to Olympic or World Championship 50-metre comps, or to the international rankings around them.”

Fellow Australian Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus, told the Jase & Lauren radio show on Nova 100:

“I was looking at it on my phone … this is a bit of a kick in the bum to any athlete who’s ever worked their whole life to train. Everyone’s obviously able to have their own opinion, but I don’t like it.”

More below...

Also in the May Vortex:

• WADA & Its Athlete Council Blast ‘Dangerous, Irresponsible’ Doping-Friendly Enhanced Games
• Qin Haiyang Makes It A Title Sweep With 2:07.5 Win in 200 Breast
• Yu Zidi - Aged 12 - 2:06.83 In 200 'Fly: The Faster Pre-Teen All-Rounder In History
• Daniel Wiffen Tops 800 As Mare Nostrum Picks Up In Barcelona
• Third Victory In Career Best For Li Bingjie - 1:55.5 In 200 Free
• Pan Zhanle Leads China's 4x200 Construction Company In 1:45.45
• Ryan Murphy To Take Break From Racing This Summer
• Andrii Govorov Waves Farewell
• Qin Haiyang Clocks First Two Sub-59s Of 2025
• Yu Yiting, 19, & Yu Zidi, 12, on 2:08 and Extraordinary 2:10 in the 200IM
• Apostolos Siskos Cracks Greek 200 Back Mark As First Under 1:55 in 2025
• Third Para World Record In As Many Days For Aussie Alexa Leary
• Doubles for Anastasia Gorbenko & Ilya Shymanovich at Monaco Mare Nostrum
• Li Bingjie The First Asian Women's Sub-Minute 400 Free in 3:59.99
• 100-200 Double for Siobhan Haughey At Mare Nostrum Opening
• Léon Marchand's Next 'Merci France!' - 2:08 Best 200 Breast Outside Title Tests
• Alexa Leary Makes It A Brace Of World Para Records in Sydney
• Léon Marchand Returns The FFN Favour - 4:07.11, His Fastest 400IM Beyond Major Title Chases
• Léon Marchand Gets French Champs Fly Past - Responds With 4:12 Cut For Singapore Worlds Ticket In Heats At Texan Trial
• Cameron McEvoy Mastery of Consistent Dash Speed Continues Apace: 21.5 & 21.7 at Sydney Open
• Pan Vs Sun* Confined To Home Pool As China Makes Its First Olympic Swim Champion Ineligible
• Simone Manuel On Growing up In Swimming: "I didn't feel like I fit in"
• Sexual Assault Charge Added To Rape Allegation In Yannick Agnel Trial
• Irish Olympic Heroes Daniel Wiffen & Mona McSharry Lead Team Of 12 To Singapore Worlds
• Paraguayan Swimmer Expelled From Paris 2024 Hints At Comeback
• McIntosh's Endless Summer
• Dawn Fraser Talks Of Brush With Death In TV Interview
• Mary-Sophie Harvey High Five Includes Fourth Career Best At Giant Paris Open
• Ronan Wantenaar's Breakthrough
• Underpinning Parental Pride In Sean McCann's Progress in the Pool
• Marrit Steenbergen Sails Under 53 For Tenth Time For Giant Win In Paris
• Cameron McEvoy Sets Sights Cielo's 20.9 WR & Sees "No Reason" To Rule Out Brisbane 2032 At 39
• Mary-Sophie Harvey & Marrit Steenbergen At The Double in Paris
• Scotland's Never Too Late campaign sees 152% increase in adult swimming programmes
• Coach Matteo Giunta Defends Federica Pellegrini On "Zero Tolerance" Stance In Sinner Doping Case
• Great Britain Selects 20 For European U23 Championships 
• ASU Boss Says College Sports Revenue-Share Announcement Close
• Jordan Crooks Takes A Break From Racing
• Gary Hall Jr's Medals Back From The Flames
• Jon Rudd's Time In Ireland Is Done As He Heads Off To Lead Saudi Performance Program
• Lukas Märtens Makes It 200-400 Double With 1:44.25 Victory At German Nationals
• Gretchen Walsh Joins Sjöstrom In Club Of Sub-25 'Fly Dashers; Irish & Danish Marks For Ellen Walshe & Tomas Koski
• Katie Ledecky Sweeps To Her 2nd Career Fastest 400 Free - 3:56.8