Xu Jiayu, Qin Haiyang dominate at China's National Swimming Championships

World champion Xu Jiayu won the men's 200-meter backstroke title for his third gold medal at the National Swimming Championships in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, on Thursday.

Xu, representing Zhejiang Province, is older than any other finalist. But the 29-year-old dominated the race from the start, leading Tao Guan of Guangdong by nearly three seconds after 150 meters. Although Xu appeared to run into a stamina bottleneck in the final 50 meters, he still touched the wall first in 1:57.56. Yu Jingming placed second while Tao ended up third.

In the men's 200-meter breaststroke final, world record holder Qin Haiyang also blew away his opposition. The 26-year-old led from the start and claimed gold in 2:07.57. Another world champion, Dong Zhihao, finished second in 2:09.98, with both competitors qualifying for the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore in July.

The women's 200-meter breaststroke final, on the other hand, featured multiple twists. Olympic champion Ye Shiwen was considered one of the favorites, but Yu Jingyao took the lead in the first 50 meters. Ye responded by surging into first place, before beginning to extend her advantage over the next 100 meters. But 15-year-old Lyu Qinyao overcame a deficit of more than one second in the final 50 meters to top the podium in 2:25.81.

In the men's 4×200-meter freestyle relay final, a trio of world champions – Pan Zhanle, Wang Shun, and Sun Yang – joined forces with Asian Games gold medalist Fei Liwei for the first time to represent Zhejiang. The highly-decorated quartet went on to win the race in 7:12.76, with the victory giving veteran Sun his first gold at this edition of the National Swimming Championships.