China Navigates Challenges and Celebrates Success at World Aquatics Championships

The Chinese diving team, despite their overall success at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, faced increased pressure from international competitors. The team concluded the tournament with a bronze medal in the women's 4x100m medley relay, securing the top spot on the medal table with a total of 15 golds, 12 silvers, and 10 bronzes.

While the artistic swimming team maintained their dominance, the diving team felt the competition intensifying. The artistic swimming team, featuring several young athletes, swept all three team events, with 19-year-old Xu Huiyan emerging as a standout performer. Additionally, 12-year-old swimmer Yu Zidi made a significant impact, reaching three individual finals and becoming the youngest swimmer to win a world championship medal, earning bronze in the women's 4x200m freestyle relay.

Qin Haiyang, after not securing an individual gold at the Paris Olympic Games, rebounded by winning the men's 100m and 200m breaststroke, along with a bronze in the 50m breaststroke. Li Bingjie, 23, also achieved a notable victory, defeating her rival and role model, Katie Ledecky, to claim the silver medal in the women's 400m freestyle. The head coach of the swimming team emphasized the focus on developing young athletes and assessing their position on the global stage.

The diving team faced significant challenges from their rivals. In the men's 10m platform diving final, young divers Zhu Zifeng and Zhao Renjie finished fourth and fifth, respectively, marking the first time since 1986 that the Chinese diving team failed to reach the podium in this event. Furthermore, Mexico's Osmar Olvera Ibarra ended China's decade-long reign in the 3m springboard, defeating Olympic champion Cao Yuan.

The diving squad included many newcomers making their world championship debuts. The transition between generations is a natural part of sports, and mistakes by newcomers in high-pressure competitions are inevitable. International athletes have improved the difficulty of their routines and shown remarkable progress in consistency and mental resilience. The Chinese men's diving squad now needs a new leader to step up.

In artistic swimming, China achieved a clean sweep of all three team events, highlighting their squad depth and consistency. Xu Huiyan made history by winning gold in the women's solo technical final, marking China's first-ever world championships title in this event. She secured three golds and one silver in Singapore.

As the championships concluded, the performances of rising stars hinted at a promising future. Chen Yuxi, a leading figure in China's women's platform diving, emphasized the importance of taking on responsibility and setting an example for the younger generation in the new Olympic cycle.