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Wu Qingfeng at the 2026 Chinese National Swimming Championships in Hangzhou. [Photo/WeChat account: sxfabu]

Shaoxing swimmer Wu Qingfeng delivered a showstopping performance at the 2026 Chinese National Swimming Championships in Hangzhou, winning the women's 50-meter freestyle title in 24.02 seconds — setting a new personal best, breaking her own meet record, and achieving the fastest time in Asia this season.

The final, held on June 20, featured China's top sprint swimmers, including Zhang Yufei, Cheng Yujie, and Yang Junxuan. Swimming in lane four, Wu accelerated in the second half of the race to touch the wall well ahead of the field. Her time earned her qualification for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

Wu was surprised by the result. "I didn't focus too much on the time or the ranking before the race. I'm really happy to set a personal best," she said, crediting months of land-based strength training for her improved form.

The achievement surpassed Hong Kong, China's Siobhan Haughey's previous Asian season-leading mark of 24.34 seconds and further established Wu as one of Asia's fastest female sprinters.

Wu continued her strong showing the following evening by finishing second in the women's 50-meter butterfly in 25.48 seconds, behind Zhang Yufei, securing another Asian Games qualification. With three months to go before the continental competition, Wu has set her sights on one goal: winning gold.