Chinese swimming athlete Zhang Yufei Photo:VCG

Looking forward to the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan, Olympic champions Zhang Yufei and Qin Haiyang told the Global Times during an event in Beijing on Wednesday that they plan to leverage the tournament as an important test on the road to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Olympic multi-medalist Zhang and world record breaststroker Qin are spearheading China's 40-member swimming roster for the Asian Games. It will be Zhang's fourth appearance at the Asian Games. 

The 20th Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4 and feature 43 sports and athletes from 45 countries and regions across Asia. 

For 28-year-old Zhang, the Asian Games will be an opportunity to assess her progress and rebuild confidence as she looks to improve her performances while remaining healthy. 

Since 2025, Zhang has shifted her focus to sprint events such as the 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle in response to the addition of these races to the Olympic program for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. 

In 2025, the International Olympic Committee officially approved adding six new events, the men's and women's 50m backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly, to the 2028 Olympic sports program.

While adapting to a different training approach has not been particularly difficult physically, Zhang told the Global Times that the greater challenge has been psychological, as she is still unsure how the changes will ultimately affect her performance. Nevertheless, she said her preparations for the Asian Games and the new events are progressing as expected.

At the 2026 China National Swimming Championships in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, in June, Zhang won the 50m butterfly title in 25.27 seconds, setting a new championship record. Speaking after the race, Zhang said she hopes to one day hold an individual world record of her own.

She noted that many European and US swimmers have increasingly shifted their focus to sprint events in recent years, pushing performances in those disciplines to new levels.

The development has left her both excited and uncertain. "Part of me wonders whether I can still keep up with the younger athletes, while another part thinks, 'Why can't I?'" she said. 

Zhang added that the Asian Games will help her test her preparations and gain greater confidence in pursuing new challenges.

Qin, meanwhile, said he is preparing to defend multiple titles at the Asian Games, while taking on the growing challenge from younger swimmers, particularly Japanese competitors. 

Qin Haiyang of Team China competes in the Men's 50m Breaststroke Final of the Singapore 2025 World Aquatics Championships at World Aquatics Championships Arena on July 30, 2025 in Singapore. Phot: VCG

Qin bagged five golds at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, including a hat trick in the men's 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke. He also holds the world record in the 200m breaststroke with a time of two minutes, 05.48 seconds. 

He said the increasingly competitive field was a natural part of the sport's development and that he would approach the competition with a calm mindset.

His goal, however, remains clear: winning gold medals. "My recent form has been pretty good," the 27-year-old told the Global Times, adding that he will simply try to give his best in the pool.

Looking beyond the Asian Games, Qin views every competition before the Los Angeles Olympics as an important opportunity for evaluation. Rather than ranking events by importance, he said every race provides a chance to identify problems, make adjustments, and improve ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.

Zhang and Qin were jointly named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. This was the first time in Asian Games history that two athletes were jointly named MVP. Zhang collected six gold medals in butterfly, freestyle and relays.

China achieved its best-ever Asian Games performance, winning 28 gold, 21 silver and nine bronze medals. 

In the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Zhang won one silver and five bronze across all her events, bringing her personal Olympic medal tally to 10 and making her the Chinese athlete with the most Olympic medals.

Qin, along with his teammates, won a historic gold at the men's 4x100m medley relay, breaking the US' run of 10 consecutive gold medals in the event dating back to the Los Angeles 1984 Games.