COVID decimates Chinese team at World Swimming Championships

China finished the 2022 FINA Short Course World Swimming Championships in Melbourne last week with just two bronze medals, after COVID and injuries left members of the Chinese team unable to compete.

The most notable absentee was Lǐ Bīngjié 李冰洁, who tested positive after displaying symptoms on arrival in Australia. Her illness meant that Li, who broke the 400m freestyle world record back in October at the Chinese National Championships, was unable to defend the bronze and gold medals she won at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, in the 400m and 800m freestyle respectively.

In addition to Li, almost a dozen more Chinese swimmers had to withdraw from competitions at the last minute with suspected cases of COVID, including Yáng Jùnxuān 杨浚瑄, Yú Yītíng 余依婷,and Táng Qiántíng 唐钱婷. The absences meant China also had to withdraw from some relay events, including the men’s 4x50m and 4x100m freestyle.

Beyond COVID-related withdrawals, China also suffered a blow to its medal hopes as multi-Olympic medalist Zhāng Yǔfēi 张雨霏, who won bronze in the women’s 50m butterfly on December 14, had to pull out of events later in the week due to an elbow injury.

Qín Hǎiyáng 覃海洋 won China’s only other medal, in the men’s 200m breaststroke. Qin finished third after narrowly outlasting Japan’s Ippei Watanabe. It was the 23-year-old’s second medal in the Short Course World Championships, after a silver at the 2018 Hangzhou World Championships.

Zheng Qinwen wins Newcomer of the Year at the WTA Awards

China’s Zhèng Qīnwén 郑钦文 was awarded the Newcomer of the Year award by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) at its end-of-year awards ceremony. 

It has been a remarkable year for the 20-year-old, rising over 100 places in the WTA rankings during the season, from 126th place in January to 25th by the end of November. 

Now in the top 30, Zhang claimed one WTA Challenger title in Valencia in June and reached her first WTA 500 final in September, the first Chinese teenager to ever do so. 

However, it was Zheng’s runs in the Grand Slams that caught the attention of Chinese fans. She reached the fourth round at the French Open and the third rounds of Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, all her runs notable for high-profile victories.  

The most memorable of these came against Simona Halep (who was 19th in WTA rankings at the time, and the previous winner of Grand Slam singles titles at the 2018 French Open and Wimbledon 2019), in the second round of the French Open.

In a statement, the WTA noted that Zheng became the second Chinese woman to win a WTA Player award, after Zhèng Jié 郑洁 won Comeback of the Year in 2008.

Other sports stories in the news:

How China’s ‘soft power’ World Cup turned into a nightmare (The Athletic) 

Two star athletes born in Hungary have chosen to represent China. Netizens are furious (Sixth Tone) 

Hong Kong billionaire Calvin Lo eyes F1 team entry by 2026 ‘if all stars’ align (SCMP)

The China Sports Column runs every week.