With a new king crowned in breaststroke and the butterfly queen reigning as usual, China's swimming stars have thrown down the gauntlet to their Olympic rivals with Paris 2024 just around the corner.

Gold medalists Xu Jiayu, Qin Haiyang, Zhang Yufei and Cheng Yujie (L to R) of Team China pose for photos after the award ceremony for the mixed 4x100 medley relay final at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, July 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Xu Chang)

At the halfway point of the World Aquatics Championships' swimming gala on Wednesday night, China had scooped an impressive four gold medals — just one shy of its best haul over the past decade — to rank second on the medal table behind powerhouse Australia in Fukuoka, Japan.

The surging tide, propelled by men's breaststroke star Qin Haiyang's breakout performances and Olympic champion Zhang Yufei's dominance in butterfly, bodes well for Team China's ambition to make an even bigger splash at next summer's Paris Games.

Taking the Fukuoka meet by storm, Qin could potentially rewrite swimming history after winning two breaststroke titles (100m and 50m) and a third within his reach.

Should he touch first in Friday night's 200m final, Qin would become the first man ever to collect all three breaststroke even titles at a single long-course worlds — a feat that would see him join China's pantheon of all-time swimming greats.

Even if his hat-trick bid comes up short, Qin now finds himself with a target on his back for next year's Olympics.

"This is just the beginning, the first step toward my goal for the Paris Olympics next year," Qin said after clocking an Asian record of 57.69 seconds, the all-time second-fastest time behind Adam Peaty's world record of 56.88, to win the 100 on Monday.

"I came here targeting all three golds knowing that I've become a better swimmer technically and mentally after years of hard training. I hope I'll be able to carry this winning momentum to Paris to peak at the right time on the biggest stage."

British swimmer Peaty, a two-time Olympic champion who also owns the 50m world record (25.95), is currently taking a break from competitions, citing mental health reasons.

Qin has made no secret of his ambition to take the Briton's throne.

"Yes, that's always my target and I am pushing toward it as hard as I can," Qin said when asked whether Peaty's world record was in his sights after triumphing in the 50 final in 26.29 on Wednesday.

Coming into Fukuoka with a 50m personal best of 26.63, Qin clocked an Asian record 26.20 in the semis — the seventh-fastest time in history behind Peaty's six best results.

In the 200 final on Friday, Australia's world-record holder Zac Stubblety-Cook appears to still be the man to beat after the reigning Olympic champion topped the time sheet in Thursday's heats with 2:08.98,0.88 seconds faster than Qin's fourth-placed preliminary result.

Team-first Zhang

Just about 50 minutes after his individual 50 final on Wednesday night, Qin went on to swim an elite 57.31 split to help China win the mixed 4x100 medley relay together with butterfly star Zhang Yufei, backstroke specialist Xu Jiayu and young freestyler Cheng Yujie.

Qin also became the first swimmer to win three golds at the Fukuoka worlds.

Yet, it was reigning 200 butterfly Olympic champion Zhang's flying third leg that broke China's rivals, with Australia fading to second and the United States having to settle for third in the hotly anticipated relay final.

After proving that she's returned to top form by winning the 100 fly on Monday, Zhang withdrew from the 200 final, scheduled just half an hour before the relay, to stay fresh for the team.

Her sacrifice proved worthwhile as Zhang swam a superb split of 55.69 to extend China's lead to more than a second for the final leg, giving Cheng enough of a buffer to withstand a strong charge from the Aussie and American freestyle sprinters.

As Cheng touched first in 3:38.57 to seal the win, Zhang couldn't contain her joy — leaping and clenching her fists in celebration at China's first relay win at the worlds since 2015 (women's 4x100 medley relay).

"This is our time, a great time," Zhang, answering in English, proudly declared to announce the arrival of China's new breed of world contenders during a poolside interview.

"We've won medals from this mixed relay event many times. We are so proud that we've changed to the best medal color this time," added the 25-year-old, who won the 100 butterfly in 56.12 on Monday.

"We have proved that Chinese swimming has built a deep talent pool with young swimmers coming up strong. Hopefully, we will continue improving and achieving more breakthroughs in the next few years."

Xu, a two-time backstroke world champion (2015, 2017), also expects big things at next year's Olympics.

"After years of waiting and development, the younger fellas are finally breaking out on the world stage. We have world-class swimmers in all the strokes now, so we are confident for the Olympics," said Xu, who missed out on the podium after finishing fourth in Tuesday's 100 back.

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