QINGDAO, May 2 (Xinhua) -- After a two-year setback, 2017 world medalist Li Bingjie returned to peak form as she won her favorite 400m freestyle, and Asian record holder Zhang Yufei claimed victory in the women's 100m butterfly in a time of 55.72 seconds, which puts her at number one so far on the world rankings at the Chinese National Swimming Championships here on Sunday.
Li, who grabbed silver in the 400m and a bronze in the 800m freestyle at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest, dominated the race in her second-best time of 4:02.36, 0.61 seconds slower than her own Asian record. Tang Muhan and Wang Jianjiahe finished second and third, respectively.
"It was my first time with good results in a morning final, since I'd never done it before. I think I am getting used to it. I even swam faster than I expected," said the 19-year-old.
Asian record holder Zhang Yufei dominated the women's 100m butterfly in 55.73, 0.11 shy of her own mark set last October, but was enough to take her to No. 1 in the world rankings.
"I tried to find my rhythm and tried different tactics during the heats, semifinals, and final. I was satisfied with my time of 55.96, 56.42, and 55.73. My performance boosted my confidence for the coming Tokyo Olympic Games," Zhang said.
Yan Zibei showed his supremacy in the men's 100m breaststroke with a time of 59.25, the only swimmer to finish under one minute. A mixed team of Tianjin/Zhejiang/Shandong/Guangdong finished in 3:16.55 in the men's 4X100m freestyle relay.
Two-time world champion Xu Jiayu led the men's 100m backstroke in 53.15, while Olympic bronze medalist Fu Yuanhui was disqualified in her semifinals after a false start.
More than 500 swimmers from 26 teams are competing in the nine-day championships, which also serves as a trial event for this summer's Tokyo Olympic Games. Enditem
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