(From left) Xu Jiayu, Yan Zibei, Zhang Yufei and Yang Junxuan give a thumbs-up after breaking the world record in the 4x100m mixed medley relay at the Chinese National Swimming Championships in Qingdao, Shandong province, on Oct 1. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Xu Jiayu broke down in tears after leading his team to a world-record time in the 4x100m mixed medley relay at the Chinese National Swimming Championships in Qingdao on Oct 1.

Two-time world champion Xu of Zhejiang province led the way as the quartet clocked 3 min 38.41 sec, shaving 0:0.15 off the previous record set by a United States team that featured Caeleb Dressel at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest.

Xu was joined on top of the podium by Yan Zibei of Hubei, Jiangsu’s Zhang Yufei and Shandong youngster Yang Junxuan.

Afterward, an emotional Xu, who clocked 0:52.45 in his backstroke leg, paid tribute to his teammates and credited a renewed focus on physical training for the sensational result.

“Better body strength supports me to have better performances, especially in the final stages of races,” said Xu.

“I have the same emphasis on my physical training as on my skill training. They are equally important. Physical training was very tough for me, but I will keep leveling up my body strength and have better performances in the future.

“Core strength training is very important for a swimmer. All of the data from our physical training is like a mirror to us. Those numbers expose our weaknesses and help us solve our problems.”

Xu said the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics brought both challenges and opportunities. 

“All we can do is use this extra time to better prepare our bodies and show perseverance.”

A combined team from Liaoning and Sichuan finished second in 3:53.12, with Guangdong third in 3:53.39 on what was the final day of the championships.

Like Xu, Zhang was thrilled to see those long, grueling gym sessions pay off.

“My body strength was my weakness before, so I have spent a lot of time on that. In fact, I spent between four to five months strengthening my body,” said Zhang, who set an Asian record in the women’s 100m butterfly on Sept 29. 

“With the extra strength, I can execute my stroke better and better control my body in the water. All this training and effort have helped me to improve.”

The medley is an Olympic event, with the result on Oct 1 a timely boost for China’s preparations for the Tokyo Games, which have been postponed until next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With competitions all but wiped out because of the global health crisis, China’s national team swimmers have been training hard all year. Zhang remarked that it was the longest winter training she has ever experienced, and now she is pleased with the results.

“Actually, I don’t put too much value on whether I can win a title this time,” Zhang said. “As long as I can have great performances, I will also be very happy, even if I only get second place.”

Yan also won the men’s 200 breaststroke in 2:12.14 on Oct 1. He surged into an early lead over Hubei teammate and eventual runner-up Yu Zongda to establish a huge two-second advantage after the first length and was never in danger of being caught thereafter. Huang Chaosheng of Hunan took third.

Despite ranking first in the event’s preliminary heat in 2:10.25, Qin Haiyang of Shanghai missed out on a spot in the final after failing to finish in the top eight in a series of physical tests — a new requirement for this year’s championships.

Yu Jingyao of Beijing touched first in the women’s 100 breaststroke, with Zhang Xinyu of Henan and Tianjin’s Zhang Muyan rounding out the top three.

Youth won out in the women’s 200 backstroke, with silver medalist Wang Jiayin of Shandong just 13 years old. Seventeen-year-old Hubei swimmer Peng Xuwei bagged the gold in 2:09.02.

Tang Muhan of Guangdong sped to glory in the women’s 400 freestyle with a time of 4:07.04, with Ma Yonghui and Zhang Ke, both of Hebei, finishing second and third, respectively.

Having won the 200 and 400 freestyle, Ji Xinjie of Shandong scooped his third gold of the meet in the men’s 800 freestyle, with teammate Hu Jia second and Zhang Ziyang of Hubei third.

Featuring around 300 competitors, the championships are an important barometer of athletes’ qualification chances for next year’s Tokyo Olympics.