Fight the hardest battles and pick the brightest stars
Chinese "Swimmer"
Break the 40-year monopoly of Team United States!
Qin Haiyang, one of the champions
From Tongji University
On the evening of August 4, on the last day of the Paris Olympic Games swimming competition, the Chinese team made a "big move".
In the men's 4×100m medley relay final, Xu Jiayu, Qin Haiyang, Sun Jiajun, and Pan Zhanle not only won the championship in a strong reversal, but also broke the United States team's 40-year monopoly in this event.
On August 4, the champion Chinese team players Sun Jiajun, Qin Haiyang, Pan Zhanle and Xu Jiayu (from left to right) after the award ceremony. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Du Yu
In fact, as long as the Chinese team does not finish at the bottom of the final, it has made a historic breakthrough. However, the Chinese team has the strength to take a big step forward and step up, and has the capital to challenge the world's top opponents.
The rapid progress of the Chinese team has already been shown in 2023. At the World Championships in Fukuoka, the Chinese team won the silver medal in the men's 4X100m medley relay for the first time, stunning the world.
On July 30, 2023, Pan Zhanle, Wang Changhao, Qin Haiyang and Xu Jiayu (from left to right) were interviewed after the final. On the same day, in the men's 4x100m medley relay final of the 2023 World Aquatics Championships held in Fukuoka, Japan, the Chinese team won the second place with a time of 3:29.00 and broke the Asian record in the event. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Chang
However, it is not easy to gnaw the hard bone of the men's mixed at the Olympics, and it requires not only extraordinary strength, but also the courage and determination to dare to break through. Men's mixed has historically been the "traditional territory" of the United States team. Since the event entered the Olympic Games in 1960, the United States team has won all of its championships except for the 1980 Olympics, where it did not compete, winning a total of 15 gold medals. is such an "impregnable" wall that seems "impregnable" to the outside world, which was rampaged by several Chinese young men and collapsed.
On August 4, Chinese team players Xu Jiayu, Qin Haiyang, Sun Jiajun and Pan Zhanle (from left to right) entered the stadium before the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang Zongzhi
Qin Haiyang, China's "Frog King", had a bad start at the Paris Olympics, losing in the 100-meter breaststroke and 200-meter breaststroke individual events one after another. But in both relay races, he found himself and completed redemption. Xu Jiayu, a 28-year-old veteran of the Olympic Dynasties, holds three Olympic silver medals and finally broke the gold medal curse. He wanted to fight for five or even six Olympic Games. Pan Zhanle, a big boy with an upright personality in the swimming team. The two gold medals won by the Chinese swimmers in Paris have his contributions, and they are both priceless championships. Wang Changhao and Sun Jiajun played the butterfly in the preliminaries and finals respectively. They were all at their best, withstanding the pressure and contributing to the historic breakthrough in the men's mix.
During the Games, members of the Chinese swimming team were frequently tested for doping, but as Zhang Yufei said in a previous interview, the team members did not lower their goals at the Paris Olympics. In the 200-meter butterfly final, Zhang Yufei tried his best to win a bronze medal, and everyone who watched this game will be moved. Previously, after Pan Zhanle broke the world record and won the 100-meter freestyle championship, some people questioned it. In response, an IOC spokesperson responded, "The Chinese swimming team is the team that has received the most doping tests at the Paris Olympics and has undergone comprehensive testing. In the relay competition, Pan Zhanle once again made a strong effort, swam an amazing segment result, and gave the best response to doubts with absolute strength.
United States players Drexel and Murphy, who took the field in the men's mixed final, both said that the rise of the Chinese team is not a bad thing for the project. "Our goal is to win the championship, but there are other teams who are dominant in the pool. United States and Australia are still the strongest teams, but from this Olympics, Italy, China and France are all on the rise. It's not a bad thing, it's a good thing for the sport. Murphy said.
At the Paris Olympics, the Chinese swimming team ended with 2 golds, 3 silvers and 7 bronzes, with the best number of medals in history, and the number of winners also reached the highest in history. Kudos to all the "swimmers" of the Chinese swimming team!
Editor: Wu Baixin
Source: Xinhuanet, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV News
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