World Record Holder Qi Hui Wins 200m Breaststroke Title

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, April 21, 2003

World Record Holder Qi Hui Wins 200m Breaststroke Title

World record holder Qi Hui took her third gold medal in the 200 meters breaststroke with a below-par performance at the Chinese National Swimming Championships Sunday in Tianjin.

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World record holder Qi Hui took her third gold medal in the 200 meters breaststroke with a below-par performance at the Chinese National Swimming Championships Sunday in Tianjin.

Qi, 18, trailed world champion Luo Xuanjuan through the first 100 meters before she took the lead from 150m, clocking a winning time of two minutes and 25.70 seconds, far behind her own world mark 2:22.99 set in 2001.

Luo Nan came to second in 2:26.88 and Luo Xuejuan third in 2:28.97.

Qi said: "My first 100 meters was too slow. I am not satisfied with the result. Something around 2:24 is expected. I should swim faster."

Asian Games heroine Xu Yanwei held off a tough challenge at the pad from Yang Yu to win the women's 100m freestyle in 55.27, beating 200m specialist Yang by 0.06 seconds.

Xu, who had five gold medals in the Busan Asian Games last year,said: "This is my fourth title apart from my 100m butterfly and two freestyle relays. Yet I ran out of my energy in the 4X200m freestyle relay last night, I did not swim well in the last 25 meters today."

"I will have 50m freestyle and 4X100m medley relay in the following days at the meet," said the 19-year-old.

In the men's 800m freestyle, Yu Cheng broke a national record of the non-Olympic event in a time of 8:04.44, slicing 3.35 seconds off the previous mark set by Wu Peng last year.

Ji Zhixiang also surpassed the old mark in 8:05.28 while the bronze went to Zhu Ling in 8:23.20.

The 16-year-old Zhao Tao claimed victory in the men's 200m individual medley in 2:02.05, ahead of Li Ziqiang 2:04.09 and Liu Haitao 2:06.29.

Zhao is the first Chinese men swimmer to reach the Athens Olympic Games participating standard at the meet after Wu Peng, 16,won the 200m butterfly in 1:56.96.

"It is out of my expectation. It's a magical swim," said the ecstatic Zhao. "My aim is to be as successful as Wu Peng, and he took three gold medals in the Asian Games."

Ouyang Kunpeng collected men's 200m backstroke title with a personal-best in 1:59.24, beating Yu Rui in 2:00.59 and Zhou Cong 2:01.19. The Asian and national record holder Wu Peng came to fourth in 2:02.05.

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