China’s Tang Qianting Breaks Lilly King’s U.S. Open Record in Prelims
2026 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS
Chinese swimmers have been relatively quiet so far this week in Irvine, with their primary meet of 2026 still to come at the Asian Games in September, but Tang Qianting had one of their best performances of the meet so far in prelims of the women’s 50 breaststroke.
She was the only swimmer under 30 seconds in the heats, swimming 29.59 to break the U.S. Open Record in the event.
The U.S. Open Record, which reflects the fastest time swum on U.S. soil by a swimmer from any nation, was previously a 29.62 done by Lilly King at a Pro Swim Series meet in 2018. The 22-year-old set Tang set the Asian Record earlier this year with a 29.44 at the China Open in March.
Tang, also the Asian Record holder over 100 meters, won silver in that race on Thursday evening. Her time of 1:05.46 there was more than a second away from her personal best, so this 50 swim is the better performance for her so far.
The time is also the de facto Championship Record, as this is the first year where Pan Pacs has included 50 meter stroke events.
Only four women in history have been faster than Tang’s 20.59 from the heats.
Top 5 Women All-Time, 50 LCM Breaststroke
- Ruta Meilutyte, Lithuania – 29.16 (2023)
- Benedetta Pilato, Italy – 29.30 (2021)
- Lilly King, USA – 29.40 (2017)
- Tang Qianting, China – 29.44 (2026)
- Yulia Efimova, Russia – 29.52 (2013)
Tang leads a field that includes Americans Skyler Smith (30.08) and McKenzie Siroky (30.18) as the 2nd and 3rd seeds. Smith was a solid collegiate swimmer at North Carolina, but has really seen a meteoric rise as a post-grad. Her previous best time in the 50 was 30.41, done in 2023, and she’s been hovering at 30.4 for several years now.
Siroky, the former elite hockey player, won the 100 breaststroke on Thursday.