Yu Zidi beats China Open 200m butterfly reigning Olympic and world runner-up Regan Smith » Pan Zhanle finishes fifth in 200m freestyle
Article by Roxana Fleşeru – Published Thursday, March 19, 2026, 4:57 p.m. / Updated Thursday, March 19, 2026, 5:01 p.m.
The first day of the China Open brought confirmation that Chinese swimmers are out to impress in Shenzhen's Longgang Universiade Center Natatorium.
Of the nine events that had finals, seven were won by Chinese swimmers. The event in Shenzhen features 17 swimmers from outside China, attracted by the idea of competing at world level in the year when there are only continental competitions in the 50m pool.
They include Kyle Chalmers (Australia), Jack Alexy (USA), Noè Ponti (Switzerland), Thomas Ceccon (Italy), Nicolo Martinenghi (Italy), Lukas Märtens (Germany), Arno Kamminga (Netherlands), Pieter Coetze (South Africa), Kliment Kolesnikov (Russia) in men's and Regan Smith (USA), Alex Walsh (USA), Gretchen Walsh (USA), Kate Douglas (USA), Lani Pallister (Australia), Mollie O'Callaghan (Australia), Siobhan Haughey (Hong Kong).
One of the surprises of the first day was Yu Zidi's victory in the 200m butterfly over reigning Olympic and world runner-up Regan Smith.
The 13-year-old swimmer covered the four pool lengths in 2:05.71, while the American finished in 2:06.28. Chang Mojie took third place with 2:07.16.
Yu Zidi came to the fore last year with her participation at the World Championships in Singapore, when she was just 12 years old, sparking much debate about whether it is okay for a swimmer so young to compete in senior events. She reached the finals of the 200m individual medley and 200m butterfly, where she placed fourth.
She helped China's 4x200m freestyle relay team qualify for the final, where she was replaced, but also received the bronze medal, becoming the youngest medalist in the competition's history.
Pan Zhanle, fifth place in 200 meters freestyle
Also on Thursday, the men's 200m freestyle final took place, where China's Zhang Zhanshuo won with a personal best time of 1:44.53, followed by Germany's Lukas Märtens with 1:45.22 and Australia's William Petric with 1:46.14. Pan Zhanle continued his plan to improve in this event as well, placing fifth with a time of 1:46.74.
Pan Zhanle will compete in two more events in Shenzhen, the 100m freestyle, where he will compete with Jack Alexy and Kyle Chalmers, and the 800m freestyle.
The competition offers total prizes of $680,000, with some stars also receiving an appearance bonus of up to $20,000. The podium finishers will also receive cash prizes as follows: $10,000 for first place, $6,000 for second place, and $4,000 for third place. Prizes are taxed at 20 percent by the Chinese government.
