The 2024 National Swimming Championships will continue to compete on April 24, and the competition will be held at the Shenzhen Universiade Center Natatorium. In the men's 200-meter backstroke final, Xu Jiayu, Tao Guannan and other celebrities competed for Olympic qualifications.
Men's 200m Backstroke - Final
Gold Medal: Xu Jiayu
Silver medal: Wang Yutian
Bronze Medal: Tao Guannan
The world record holder in the men's 200m backstroke is American Alan Persol, who swam 1:51.92 at the 2009 World Championships in Rome. The Asian record holder is Japan's Shunsuke Irie, who also swam 1:52.51 at the 2009 World Championships in Rome. The national record holder is Xu Jiayu, who swam 1:53.99 at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
The Olympic A standard time in the men's 200m backstroke is 1:57.50, and only Xu Jiayu swam 1:55.37 at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. No competitor reached the semi-finals of this year's national championships, and Tao Guannan swam 1:57.80 in the semi-finals, only 0.30 seconds away from the Olympic A standard. Therefore, in addition to Xu Jiayu in this final, Tao Guannan's performance has also attracted much attention.
This final is a wonderful competition, but no player has reached the Olympic A standard, and Xu Jiayu is still 0.20 seconds away from the Olympic A standard. Among the other athletes, Wang Yutian did not meet the Olympic B standard in 1:58.29, so he could not qualify. Tao Guan's men's semi-final results reached the Olympic B standard, which can only be used as an alternative, and needs to wait for the FINA quota to decide whether to participate in the Olympic Games. Xu Jiayu has previously reached the Olympic A standard in other events, so Xu Jiayu has the Olympic qualification.
Regarding the appearance of the finals, Jiangsu Calmei player Xue Yirui in lane 1, Henan player Yu Jingming lane 2, Hubei Hosa player Wang Yutian lane 3, Guangdong player Tao Guannan lane 4, Zhejiang Shouxian Valley player Xu Jiayu lane 5, Shaanxi Hosa Jiang Chenglin lane 6, Heilongjiang Hosa player Wang Gu Kailai lane 7, Sichuan Zhouke player Jin Yan lane 8.
A review of the finals
The fierce competition was in full swing, the first 50 meters were very fierce, Xu Jiayu did not enter the top three, and Henan player Yu Jingming took the lead in completing the turn. When he came to the 100-meter turn, Xu Jiayu overtook other opponents and became the new leader.
Since then, in the 150th meter, Xu Jiayu's advantage has reached 1.31 seconds. In the last 50 meters, Xu Jiayu maintained a steady pace and won the gold medal with a time of 1:57.70, which did not reach the Olympic A standard. In addition, Wang Yutian won the silver medal with a time of 1:58.29, and Tao Guannan won the bronze medal with a time of 1:58.53.