SwimSwam reports a 48.77-second victory in Beijing, lowering Xu’s eight-year-old mark by 0.11 seconds at a meet where swimmers are competing for world championship places.
Xu Jiayu won the men’s 100m backstroke at the Chinese Short Course National Championships in Beijing in 48.77 seconds on October 24, setting Asian and Chinese records, SwimSwam reports. Short-course swimming takes place in a 25m pool.
The 31-year-old lowered his own Asian record of 48.88 seconds, set at the 2018 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup, by 0.11 seconds. He was the only swimmer in the final to finish under 50 seconds.
| Place | Swimmer | Time (seconds) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xu Jiayu | 48.77 |
| 2 | Huang Zichun | 50.40 |
| 3 | Wang Gukailai | 50.79 |
Analysis
SwimSwam’s split times—the time taken for each 50m half—show where Xu gained ground on his previous record. He swam the opening half 0.39 seconds faster. His closing half was 0.28 seconds slower, leaving a net improvement of 0.11 seconds.
| Distance | 2026 time (seconds) | 2018 time (seconds) |
|---|---|---|
| Opening 50m | 23.37 | 23.76 |
| Closing 50m | 25.40 | 25.12 |
| Total | 48.77 | 48.88 |
The national championships run from October 23 to 28. According to SwimSwam, swimmers are competing for places on China’s team for this year’s Short Course World Championships, also to be held in Beijing. Xu’s national title and record do not themselves confirm his selection for that team.
SwimSwam reports that Xu’s 22.03-second relay opening leg in Beijing lowered Pieter Coetze’s mark, set earlier in October, by 0.06 seconds.
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