Haiyang eyes Olympic glory after winning 100m breaststroke world gold
Haiyang recovered from a slow start to come home in 58.23sec in Singapore, beating Italy's Martinenghi (58.58) and Kyrgyzstan's Denis Petrashov (58.88).
Haiyang swept all three breaststroke races at the 2023 World Championships in Japan, breaking the 200m world record.
But he crashed and burned at last year's Paris Olympics, finishing seventh after leading the 100m breaststroke final at the turn.
The 26-year-old had no such problems in Singapore as he delivered China's first swimming gold of the championships.
"I have a lot of anticipation for LA 2028," said Haiyang.
"I'm just getting myself into the frame of mind early.
"There are still a lot of uncertainties ahead and I have to be prepared for anything that may come."
Haiyang said he was still not back to his best, but called the victory a big confidence boost following injury.
"There are still a few years ahead before the next Olympics and I want to still be able to achieve my dreams," he added.
Haiyang went into the race in ominous form, having swum the two fastest times of the year and topped the semi-finals ahead of Martinenghi.
Martinenghi was initially disqualified in the semi-finals but was reinstated for the final.
The Italian said he had been sick through the night and was "really proud" of his performance.
"That silver is like a gold for me," he said.
"I've got nothing inside me, I've got only my heart and my brain."
The race did not feature Paris Olympic joint silver medallists Adam Peaty and Nic Fink.
Britain's Peaty, who owned the 14 fastest times in the history of the 100m breaststroke heading into Singapore, decided to skip the World Championships.
American Fink is also taking a break from competition.
Haiyang said his win was the result of hard work in training.
"To win this gold medal is not something that's easily said and done for me," he said.
Haiyang's preparations for the Paris Olympics were thrown into turmoil when he was implicated in a major doping scandal months before the Games.
A report named Haiyang among 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for a prescription heart drug ahead of the pandemic-delayed 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
They were not sanctioned after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted the argument of Chinese authorities that the positive tests were caused by contaminated food. - AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
14 minutes ago
- The Star
Swimming-Facing fears more important than gold for Australia's McKeown
Swimming - World Aquatics Championships - Women 100m Backstroke Final - World Aquatics Championships Arena, Singapore - July 29, 2025 Australia's Kaylee McKeown reacts after winning the women's 100m backstroke final REUTERS/Edgar Su (Reuters) -Kaylee McKeown won gold in a thrilling 100 metres backstroke final at the world championships in Singapore on Tuesday, but the Australian said she was prouder of the fact that she had faced her fear of failure than winning the race. The five-time Olympic gold medallist came from behind to overtake rival Regan Smith and touch the wall in a championship-record time of 57.16, beating Smith by 0.19 seconds. It was a triumphant return to the world championships for McKeown, who had said after the semi-finals on Monday that she had not wanted to compete in the event. The 24-year-old had also said she was hoping to rediscover her love for the sport in 2025 following a challenging spell during which she took a mental health break shortly after her 100 and 200 backstroke victories at the Paris Olympics. Asked on Tuesday what it meant to win the gold medal, McKeown said: "I don't think it necessarily means anything to win. "I know that sounds bad, but I think what means most to me is being true to myself and being strong and coming to these world championships and not fearing away. "There were a lot of comments saying that I'm scared to lose but that's not the case at all. "If anything, I'm scared to fail myself. I've worked really, really hard to get up there tonight and prove to myself that I am a good athlete and swimmer. It doesn't matter if I come first or last. "I just didn't want to keep steering away from fear because the more that you feel fear, it becomes like a monster and you have to chase your demons at some point." American Smith said she was content with her performance, especially in light of the illness which swept through the United States team during their training camp in Thailand just before the championships. "It was a really good execution, and at the end of the day, America as a whole had the odds stacked against us," she added. "We had a really unfortunate situation happen to us during a training camp, and I did not think I was going to go for 57.35. "To come up with a silver, I can't really control the place of the medal, but what I can control is how fast I swim and how well I can do my race, and I think I did an incredible job, especially under the circumstances." Smith and McKeown will renew their rivalry in the 200 backstroke, with the final scheduled to take place on Saturday. (Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
The Star
44 minutes ago
- The Star
Biathlete Dahlmeier missing after mountaineering fall in Pakistan, reports say
FILE PHOTO: IBU World Biathlon Championships - Women's 4x6 km Relay - Oestersund, Sweden - March 16, 2019. Laura Dahlmeier of Germany competes. TT News Agency/Robert Henriksson via REUTERS/ File Photo BERLIN (Reuters) -German biathlete and double Olympic champion Laura Dahlmeier has been at least seriously injured in a mountaineering accident in Pakistan, with emergency responders so far unable to reach her, according to media reports on Tuesday citing her management. The accident occurred on Monday when Dahlmeier was hit by a falling rock in the Karakoram, a mountain range in the Kashmir region, the ZDF broadcaster reported. Her management did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment from Reuters. ZDF said that a helicopter overflight on Tuesday had found no signs of life. Dahlmeier retired from the sport in 2019, aged 25, a year after becoming the first female biathlete to achieve a sprint and pursuit double at the same Olympics. (Reporting by Rachel More, editing by Kirsti Knolle)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Rugby-Piardi call in Australia-Lions test should be accepted, Erasmus says
FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - South African head coach Rassie Erasmus' Press Conference - SARU House, Tygerberg Park, Cape Town, South Africa - March 5, 2025 South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus during the press conference REUTERS/Esa Alexander/ File Photo (Reuters) -South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus believes the decision to award the British & Irish Lions a series-winning try in last weekend's 29-26 win over Australia was "touch-and-go" but World Rugby's explanation of the contentious call should be accepted. The Lions won the test with a try from Hugo Keenan in the final seconds but Australia believe a ruling from referee Andrea Piardi at a ruck immediately beforehand was incorrect. Australia coach Joe Schmidt said the call was an error in his post-match press conference, suggesting Jac Morgan's clear-out of Carlo Tizzano was dangerous, and Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh said he would seekg "accountability" from World Rugby over it. But Erasmus, who received a two-month ban from World Rugby for a 62-minute video that was critical of Australian referee Nic Berry after the first Lions test in South Africa in 2021, said he could see both sides of the argument. "I had Australia (winning) by four points in the game, so I lost our internal (coach's competition) on that one," Erasmus told reporters with a smile on Tuesday. "It's such a tough decision. World Rugby has come out to say it was the right decision. It was a very tough call for the referee to make. "If I was Joe, I would be really disappointed, and if I was (Lions coach) Andy (Farrell), I would be really happy. I think it was touch-and-go, so I can understand both sides of what each coach sees. "But World Rugby has ruled on it and that is what everybody has to accept." World Rugby chief Alan Gilpin backed the call from Piardi earlier on Tuesday. "We do share with Joe and the coaching team why the match officials made that decision," he said. "Joe's got a view about what was wrong with that decision and there'll be a debate so that Joe and his players can go into the next test understanding how that game's going to be officiated." South Africa will host Australia in two Rugby Championship tests in Johannesburg and Cape Town next month. Italian Piardi will officiate the defending champion Springboks' final match in the competition against Argentina in London in October. (Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Ken Ferris)
