World Aquatics Championships: Qin Haiyang bags 200m breaststroke gold in ‘Lane 8 miracle'
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Qin clocked a time of 2 minutes 7.41 seconds, some two seconds off the world record time he set in Fukuoka in 2023, but it was enough to win his second gold medal at the championships.
'Have you heard of the Lane 8 miracle? You saw it tonight,' said Qin of his victory. He was the only finalist to qualify with a time slower than 2:09.00.
Qin made history in the 2023 edition of the championships by sweeping the men's 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke titles.
And after a disappointing 2024 season and Olympic showing, there were signs early on in the week that Qin was on track to redemption, bagging the gold medal in the 100m breaststroke on Monday and the bronze in the 50m breaststroke on Wednesday.
Ji Xinjie, Pan Zhanle, Wang Shun and Zhang Zhanshuo finished second in the 4x200m final. Photo: Reuters
On Friday night, Qin was fifth after the first 50m but climbed the ranks to lead by the final lap as the cheers from the Chinese supporters grew deafening. Their ovation reached a crescendo as Qin touched the wall ahead of Japan's Ippei Watanabe (2:07.70) and Caspar Corbeau from the Netherlands (2:07.73).
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