Zhang Yufei and Wang Shun Ready to Go at Chinese National Championships
The squad which will represent China at the World Championships this summer will take shape this week when the Chinese National Championships are held. The meet is scheduled to run from Monday through Saturday, with Zhang Yufei and Wang Shun among the headliners. Zhang is the reigning Olympic champion in the 200-meter butterfly while Wang was the gold medalist in the 200 individual medley at the Tokyo Games.
According to Chinese Swimming News and Results, a Twitter account which supplies stellar coverage of Chinese swimming, Zhang will contest the 50, 100 and 200 butterfly events, along with the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle disciplines. As for Wang, he is slated to race in the 200 and medley events, along with the 100 breaststroke and 200 freestyle.
Distance star Li Bingjie will embrace a busy schedule, as she is entered in the 200, 400, 800 and 1500 freestyle events, along with the 100 butterfly. Late last year, Li set a short-course world record in the 400 freestyle. She’ll try to deliver a statement in that event at Nationals, as the 400 freestyle is one of the deepest events in the world on the women’s side, also featuring Summer McIntosh, Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky, the last three world-record holders in the event.
Ye Shiwen, the 2012 Olympic champion in the 200 medley and 400 medley, is entered in both of those events, along with the 200 breaststroke. More, teenager Wang Haoyu will compete in the 50, 100, 200 and 400 freestyles. In March, Wang cracked the 48-second barrier in the 100 freestyle.