Gold medalist team China poses for photos during the awarding ceremony of the open water swimming mixed 4x1.5km Relay at the 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, April 27, 2026. (Xinhua/Bei He)
SANYA, April 27 (Xinhua) -- China claimed its third gold medal in open-water swimming at the 6th Asian Beach Games after winning the mixed 4x1.5km relay on Monday.
The Chinese quartet of Li Xinxuan, Chen Yijing, Zhang Ziyang and Liu Peixin delivered a dominant performance, finishing in one hour, five minutes and 26.8 seconds. Vietnam and South Korea took silver and bronze, respectively.
Unlike most teams, which placed male swimmers on the opening and anchor legs, China sent two 18-year-old women out first. Li, who had already won the women's 5km title, admitted she felt some pressure racing alongside men.
"I thought the male swimmers might surge ahead, but I managed to stay with the leading group," she said. Li finished the opening leg 50.2 seconds behind Vietnam.
Chen then narrowed the gap, moving China from sixth to second place. Liu overtook rivals in the third leg before Zhang anchored the team to victory.
"Our two female teammates did a fantastic job, which really boosted our confidence," said Zhang. "We trained together in Beijing for two weeks before the Games. We are a happy team, and that helps relieve pressure."
Zhang, who won the men's 5km gold a day earlier, said the tight schedule had been physically demanding. "I was extremely tired yesterday. I've never felt that exhausted before," he said. "But the desire to win outweighed the fatigue."
China's clean sweep of all three open-water events brought smiles across the squad. Head coach Cheng Zhang said the team had met its targets.
"Our goal before the Games was to strive for three gold medals," he said. "All teams are strong, but we performed better this time."
Looking ahead, Zhang said the team still has room for improvement on the world stage. "We may be competitive in Asia, but globally we still need to improve," he said. "Our ultimate goal is to qualify for the 2028 Olympics."
He added with a smile that he also had a personal wish: "Next time I come to Sanya, I'd love to try the local coconut chicken." ■
Gold medalist team China (C), silver medalist team Vietnam (L) and bronze medalist team South Korea pose for photos during the awarding ceremony of the open water swimming mixed 4x1.5km Relay at the 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, April 27, 2026. (Xinhua/Bei He)
Zhang Ziyang (top) of team China starts after the exchage during the open water swimming mixed 4x1.5km Relay at the 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, April 27, 2026 (Xinhua/Bei He)
Chen Yijing of team China starts after the exchange during the open water swimming mixed 4x1.5km Relay at the 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, April 27, 2026. (Xinhua/Bei He)
