The 2024 Chinese National Swimming Championships in Shenzhen marked a historic moment in women’s swimming as Tang Qianting broke the Asian Record in the women’s 100m breaststroke event. At just 20 years old, Tang achieved a personal best time of 1:04.68, surpassing the 1:05 barrier for the first time in her career. Her coach, Pierre Lafontaine, played a crucial role in her success as she trained under his guidance.
Tang’s split times of 29.74 for the opening and 34.94 for the closing were faster than the current world record of 1:04.13 set by American Lilly King in 2017. With this new record, Tang is now the fifth-fastest swimmer in history for the women’s LCM 100m breaststroke event. She is also in contention for the Paris 2024 Olympics along with silver medalist Yang Chang and bronze medalist Yu Jingyao.
Yang finished in 1:06.23, while Yu touched in at 1:07.95. Both Tang and Yang achieved the World Aquatics Olympic Qualification Time of 1:06.79 in the race, making them eligible for consideration for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The championships saw several other impressive performances from Chinese swimmers as well. In total, China won eight gold medals, seven silver medals, and five bronze medals at the event.
Overall, Tang’s performance was a standout moment at the championships and sets her up well for future success on both national and international stages.
