Qin Haiyang facts for kids
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Qin at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships
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| Personal information | |
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| Native name | 覃海洋 |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Born | 17 May 1999 Shimen County, Hunan, China |
| Height | 1.92 m |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes |
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| Club | Shanghai Swimming Team |
| Coach | Cui Dengrong |
Qin Haiyang is a famous championship swimmer from China. He was born on 17 May 1999 in Shimen County, which is in Hunan province. Qin is very tall, standing at 1.92 metres. He is famous worldwide for swimming the breaststroke faster than almost anyone else alive. He also races in medley events, where athletes swim four different swimming styles in one contest. Qin has set an official world record during major international competitions. He broke the 200m breaststroke global record mark at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships. Qin became the very first swimmer to win every breaststroke event at a single edition. He previously held the official world junior record in two big events. Because of his speed, World Aquatics named him the Male Swimmer of the Year. Qin was the first athlete from an Asian nation to earn this big award.
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Qin Haiyang Biography and Early Life
Qin grew up loving water sports and practicing his swim strokes every single day. He spent thousands of hours training hard inside pools across his home country. As a young boy, he worked on body strength and clean underwater technique. Good breaststroke technique requires moving your arms like a heart shape and kicking like a frog. Qin practiced this movement until he could glide effortlessly through the cool water.
When he was only seventeen years old, Qin raced against experienced adult athletes. He entered the big 2017 national swimming championships held in the coastal city of Qingdao. There, he set a new national record for his country. His super fast swimming also set an unofficial world junior record. Later that summer, he traveled far to Budapest, Hungary, to test his skills. He raced in the 2017 World Aquatics Championships against top international stars. In the heats and semifinals, he posted remarkable times for an eighteen-year-old athlete. Later that year, he swam at the 2017 National Games of China in Tianjin. He showed everyone that he was becoming one of the most promising young racers.
Major Competitions and Early International Success
Qin Haiyang soon earned a proud place on the senior national team of China. He traveled to Jakarta to compete in his first Asian Games. Qin joined his fast teammates in the thrilling 4x100 metre medley relay event. They swam brilliantly together and captured a shiny gold medal for their team. Qin also won two individual bronze medals in the breaststroke and individual medley races.
In late 2018, Qin swam inside a 25-metre short course pool in Hangzhou. He competed at the 2018 World Championships against very strong rivals. Qin won a silver medal in the 200 metre breaststroke with wonderful splits. The next year, he joined the Chinese squad for the 2019 Military World Games. That large event took place in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. There, Qin swam very well and won three silver medals and one bronze medal.
Learning from Difficult Challenges
Qin earned a spot to compete at the famous Tokyo Olympic Games. He felt excited to race on the world's biggest sports stage for swimmers. In the 200 metre breaststroke heats, he touched the wall first of all. However, the race officials noticed an illegal movement during his underwater turn. He performed an extra dolphin kick, which broke the strict sport rules for breaststroke. The judges had to disqualify him, which made him feel very sad and disappointed. Qin honestly admitted that he had made a careless mistake during his important race. He chose not to give up on his dreams after that difficult day. Instead, he decided to train even harder and focus on perfect swimming technique.
Training with Coach Cui Dengrong
In 2022, Qin made a big decision to improve his daily swim training. He began working with a respected coach named Cui Dengrong in Shanghai. Coach Cui was already famous for training the great Olympic champion Zhang Yufei. Cui created tough training plans that built Qin's arm power and swimming rhythm. Under Cui's careful guidance, Qin's stroke became more powerful, smooth, and efficient. Qin soon saw huge improvements in his stamina and overall race times. He showed his progress at the 2022 World Short Course Championships in Melbourne, winning bronze.
Becoming the Breaststroke King in 2023
The year 2023 became the most magical and historic season of Qin's life. He traveled to Fukuoka, Japan, to compete in the 2023 World Aquatics Championships. Qin did something no other male swimmer had ever accomplished in world history. He captured gold medals in the 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke events. In the 200m final, he touched the wall in just 2 minutes 5.48 seconds. That incredible swim shattered the global mark previously held by Olympic champion Zac Stubblety-Cook. He also set fresh new Asian records in both the 50m and 100m breaststroke. In addition, Qin helped China win gold in the mixed 4x100m medley relay. Fans and sports reporters around the world started calling him the Breaststroke King.
Soon after, Qin competed at the World University Games in Chengdu. He delighted home fans by winning five amazing gold medals across different events. Then, Qin attended the Hangzhou Asian Games, which happened in 2023. He dominated every breaststroke contest, winning three individual golds and setting meet records. He also joined teammates Xu Jiayu, Wang Changhao, and Pan Zhanle in the relay. Their team swam the second-fastest time in history, finishing just behind Team USA. Qin and his teammate Yang Junxuan also set an Asian record in mixed relay. Because of his five gold medals, officials named Qin the Most Valuable Player. He finished that magical year by winning the overall 2023 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup title.
Olympic Glory and Later Championships
Qin entered the 2024 Summer Olympics held in Paris with very high hopes. The competition days were very stressful and exhausting for all the competing swimmers. Officials woke the athletes up early in the morning for mandatory health checks. Qin struggled during his early individual races and did not win individual medals. However, he showed great courage by staying focused on his team relay events.
Qin swam with unbelievable power during the team relay finals in Paris. He recorded lightning-fast breaststroke leg split times of 57.82 and 57.98 seconds. His effort helped China win silver in the Mixed 4 × 100 metre medley relay. In the Men's 4 × 100 metre medley relay, his team swam to gold. This historic win handed the United States team its first Olympic relay loss. The American squad had never lost that event since the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Qin continued his winning ways at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. He qualified for the 200m breaststroke final from the outside lane eight. Racing from an outside lane is very difficult because waves bounce off walls. Still, Qin swam with massive heart and won the world championship gold medal. He also grabbed gold in the 100m breaststroke and bronze in the 50m. In late 2024, he won two gold medals at the 2024 World Short Course Championships in Budapest. In 2025, Qin dominated the 2025 Asian Aquatics Championships in Ahmedabad. He later traveled to Japan for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi–Nagoya. There, Qin added more medals to his trophy cabinet with two relay golds.
Swimming Records and Best Times
Swimmers track their personal best times in two different styles of racing pools. Long course pools are 50 metres long, just like standard Olympic venues. Short course pools measure 25 metres long and require swimmers to turn more. Qin holds multiple entries on the national records table. He also holds top marks on the Asian records list.
Long Course Achievements (50-Metre Pool)
- 50 metre breaststroke: 26.20 seconds, set at the 2023 World Championships (Asian Record).
- 100 metre breaststroke: 57.69 seconds, set at the 2023 World Championships (Asian Record).
- 200 metre breaststroke: 2:05.48, set at the 2023 World Championships (World Record).
- 200 metre individual medley: 1:56.79, set at the 2019 Military World Games.
- 400 metre individual medley: 4:10.41, set at the 2019 Military World Games.
Short Course Achievements (25-Metre Pool)
- 50 metre breaststroke: 25.38 seconds, set at the 2024 World Cup (Asian Record).
- 100 metre breaststroke: 55.47 seconds, set at the 2024 World Short Course Championships (Asian Record).
- 200 metre breaststroke: 2:01.15, set at the 2018 World Short Course Championships (National Record).
- 100 metre individual medley: 57.18 seconds, set at the 2017 World Cup in Beijing.
- 200 metre individual medley: 1:54.51, set at the 2022 national short course meet.
Through hard work, positive attitude, and athletic skill, Qin inspires millions of young kids. He proved that making mistakes can teach valuable lessons for future victories. Today, young swimmers worldwide look up to his incredible dedication and underwater speed.
