1 minute 45 seconds 93!
What kind of result is this?
Zhang Zhanshuo's best time in his 16 years of swimming was 1 minute 45 seconds 98!
And…...it was the only time he swam within 1 minute 46 seconds!
This result is already among the top three in the entire China swimming team.
Pan Zhanle, the king of the 100-meter freestyle world.
His personal best in the 200-meter freestyle is 1 minute 44 seconds 65.
Of course, this was his best performance.
Unlike his consistent performance in the 100-meter freestyle, his 200-meter freestyle is affected by the transition between the 100-meter and 200-meter rhythms, so he's currently quite inconsistent in the 200-meter freestyle.
His ceiling is high, and so is his floor.
He often swims between 1 minute 45 seconds 50 and 1 minute 46 seconds.
He rarely goes under 1 minute 45 seconds.
He is not like Sun Yang, who excels in both the 200-meter and 1500-meter freestyle.
His 200-meter freestyle is consistently under 1 minute 45 seconds, with a personal best of 1 minute 44 seconds 39, an absolute top-three performance in the world.
This level could still win a medal today.
The most impressive performance was in the Barcelona World Swimming Championships in 2013.
Sun Yang swam his fastest relay leg ever — 1 minute 43 seconds 16.
Of course, relay segments, besides having different reaction times, also have different entry methods.
After the second leg of the relay, swimmers use a stroke entry, which allows for a longer takeoff.
Therefore, relay races often produce much faster times than individual events.
Converting relay times to individual times is not as simple as just adding the reaction time!
But even adding 1 second for various factors, 1 minute 43 seconds 16 is still peak performance.
However, the current world record for the 200-meter freestyle is 1 minute 42 seconds 00.
It was set by the German star Paul Biedermann in the 2009 Rome World Swimming Championships.
Industry experts predict that this record will be hard to break for many years.
The world record before this was Phelps' 1 minute 42 seconds 96.
This is already the second-fastest time in 200-meter freestyle history.
Why is it so fast?
Biedermann's world record is even almost 1 second faster than Phelps's.
Just like Pan Zhanle's 100-meter freestyle, which is 1 second faster than the second-place finisher, it's absurd.
Even in London and Rio, Sun Yang won gold and silver with times over 1 minute 44 seconds.
It seems like the speed has slowed down a lot. The reason is that both these world records were set by these two athletes while wearing high-tech "shark skin."
It was doping + high-tech!
After the shark skin was exposed, the World Aquatics Federation banned the use of high-tech materials in swimsuits and swim caps.
Therefore, the speed of the 200-meter freestyle has slowed down.
Sun Yang's best time of 1 minute 44 seconds 39 currently ranks tenth in the history of the 200-meter freestyle.
This highlights its value.
Currently, the strongest 200-meter freestyle swimmer is Pan Zhanle's biggest rival, the talented young man who previously set the world record in the 100-meter freestyle — David Popovici.
Although he hasn't broken the men's 200-meter freestyle world record.
He has achieved the best time in the era of "conventional swimsuits."
1 minute 42 seconds 97!
This is also a 200-meter freestyle world youth record.
It was set at the same European Championships as his previous 100-meter world youth record.
Popovici was in an extraordinary state at that European Championships.
This result ranks third in 200-meter freestyle history.
Usually, gold medalists achieve a time around 1 minute 44 seconds.
Therefore, Chen Shu's current 1 minute 45 seconds 93 is only less than 2 seconds behind the world's top swimmers.
Not even Ji Xinjie, who currently has the most stable output in the 200-meter freestyle within the team, can consistently achieve this time.
Chen Shu, on his first try, swam under 1 minute 46 seconds.
How could this not surprise all the swimmers and coaches in the stadium?
It's shocking!
"Chen Shu, have you ever practiced the 200-meter freestyle before?"
Cui Dengrong asked.
Chen Shu, out of breath, shook his head.
"I haven't practiced it specifically, but I have swum it a few times. I practiced this morning!"
Everyone: "..."
Damn, you're a freak even after just a morning of practice!!
If you practice for a year, you'll be unstoppable, right??
"Rest for a bit. You don't have any races in the next few days, do you?"
"I have skateboarding tomorrow..."
"It's okay. Go to the skateboarding team tonight!"
"Just practice the 200-meter freestyle a little bit today. Don't push too hard!"
"You have a competition tomorrow!"
"But I need to see your consistency!"
If he can consistently stay around 1 minute 46 seconds, then Fei Liwei, the current 4x200 freestyle relay starter, can definitely be replaced.
Because Fei Liwei's strengths are the 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle.
His best time in the 200-meter freestyle is only under 1 minute 47 seconds.
That's a full second slower than Chen Shu's time just now.
One second is enough to guarantee several rankings in the 200-meter freestyle relay. It's a huge advantage.
In Cui Dengrong's eyes, Chen Shu's greatest strength is not his swimming talent but his consistency.
This guy's 50-meter freestyle is as consistently good as Pan Zhanle's 100-meter freestyle.
And the 100-meter freestyle relay gold medal further proves that he has also stabilized his 100-meter freestyle performance under 47 seconds.
The swimming world is most afraid of these consistent, talented freaks.
Some athletes break a world record and then suddenly can't perform anymore.
It's like a flash in the pan, a sudden burst of energy.
Many athletes are like this, their results fluctuate, making coaches nervous.
Pan Zhanle in the 200-meter freestyle is like that.
But Chen Shu, with his consistency, is definitely the kind of athlete coaches love.
Chen Shu nodded.
In fact, he also has this in mind: "Okay, coach!"
"Do you still have energy?"
"I'm good!"
"Then swim another lap for me!"
After 1 minute 46 seconds, the three coaches, Cui Dengrong and the others, looked at the number 1 minute 46 seconds 01 on the big screen and fell silent.
Steady!
Damn steady.
It's only 0.08 seconds slower than the previous 1 minute 45 seconds 93!
This is an almost undetectable number.
"This kid, it's such a pity he didn't sign up for the 100-meter freestyle and 200-meter freestyle individual events!"
"He could have won a medal!"
Zheng Kunliang spoke with regret.
And if he were paired with Pan Zhanle in the 100-meter freestyle, it would be a double insurance!
Coaches would feel much more at ease!
One person entering the final is different from two people.
And they could also implement some tactics.
"Who could have predicted this before the competition?"
Zhu Zhigen smiled: "Besides, Chen Shu is only 13 years old. It's okay. There will be another chance next time!"
When he said those words, Zhu Zhigen was really sour. Such a talented young man, a future swimming king, was going to be poached by Cui Dengrong.
Sigh.
Old Zhu really wanted this prospect.
He would have money for his retirement in the future. However, Cui Dengrong beside him clearly had the same idea.
"He'll be 17 next time. He can sign up for more events then!"
Cui Dengrong laughed, and Zhu Zhigen suppressed his inner thoughts.
"Haha!"
The three of them laughed.
In fact, even Chen Shu himself didn't expect that the system's boost could help him improve his 100-meter freestyle and 200-meter freestyle so quickly.
Otherwise, he would have definitely signed up for those events.
So now, he can only participate in the relay.
Because it allows for replacements.
He replaces the starter.
"Alright, go to sleep and replenish your energy!"
"Wake up and compete!"
Cui Derong urged, but his eyes were on Chen Shu: "Chen Shu, swim a few more laps for me. You can go to the skateboarding team around 4:00!"
Cui Dengrong guessed that if he didn't let Chen Shu go, the skateboarding team would call to ask for him.
After all, Chen Shu would have to adapt to the competition venue and practice skateboarding beforehand for the skateboarding competition tomorrow morning. He's been swimming for so many days, and this project will probably be rusty.
Skateboarding is something you need to practice every day. I don't know what this kid Chen Shu is thinking. He hasn't touched it in all these days.
But since Chen Shu didn't say anything, Cui Dengrong wouldn't remind him. After all, in his heart, he definitely hoped that Chen Shu would fully focus on swimming. If he hadn't signed up for skateboarding, he wouldn't have even mentioned it.
Fortunately, one thing skateboarding has over swimming is that it consumes less energy.
It mainly focuses on aerial tricks and completion, not requiring as much physical strength.
"Can you finish the skateboarding competition in one day tomorrow?"
Cui Dengrong asked.
"I can!"
"The preliminary round is tomorrow at noon!"
"The final is at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow!"
"After I finish, I'll focus on swimming!"
Chen Shu knew why Cui Dengrong asked, so he simply stated his worries. Such a clever student, Cui Dengrong was becoming increasingly satisfied with him.
He would do anything to recruit him.
"Okay!"
"Focus on the 200-meter and 50-meter. You won't be competing in the 100-meter freestyle, so practice those two events well!"
"Okay!"
Chen Shu didn't mention the butterfly stroke. After all, that would come into play later, so he would focus on the next few competitions first.