China's Young Athletes Shine at World Aquatics Championships

The Chinese artistic swimming team participated in the Artistic Swimming Team Technical Preliminaries at the 22nd World Aquatics Championships on July 22, 2025. The team showcased their depth, while new faces in diving and swimming prepared to compete.

Wukong, earning them gold in the team technical event. This victory was particularly significant as China edged out their rivals, the Russian swimmers, who competed under a neutral banner.

China has demonstrated its strength in team events, and the emergence of young swimmers on the international stage is exciting. The World Aquatics highlighted China's dominance in artistic swimming. Despite some athletes stepping back after the Paris Olympics, a younger generation has made their mark.

Xu Huiyan made history by winning gold in the women's solo technical final, marking China's first title in this event. She also secured silver in the solo free event and gold in the team technical final. The 19-year-old has progressed significantly, earning three medals in Singapore after winning a bronze in Doha in 2024.

Zhang Xiaohuan, head coach of the artistic swimming team, noted that China had waited to compete against its biggest rival on the global stage. China won both duet and team titles at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Russian athletes did not participate. The gold medal feels as important as the one won at the Paris Olympic Games.

Lin Yanhan and Lin Yanjun will compete for the women's duet free title. The twin sisters finished second in the women's duet technical finals. Chinese swimmers are also favored for the team acrobatic title.

For the swimming event, China will field its youngest-ever squad, with the men's team averaging 22.6 years old and the women's team 20.1. The main goal is to provide valuable experience to the team. This is the first major international competition of the new Olympic cycle, focusing on developing young athletes and coaches.

Yu Zidi, the youngest swimmer in Chinese history to qualify for the world championships, is set to make her debut. She approaches the competition with a learning mindset.

The diving event will also feature new faces. Xie Peiling will replace Olympic champion Quan Hongchan due to injury in the women's 10m platform. Chen Yuxi will pair with Zhang Minjie in the women's 10m synchronized platform. Zhao Renjie, the youngest member of the diving team, will compete in the men's 10m platform.