Yichang boy wins bronze at Youth Artistic Swimming Championships
2025-09-01 19:09:16
By Yan Wanqin.
Chinese team won the bronze medal in the Mixed Team Free Combination final at the 2025 World Aquatics Youth Artistic Swimming Championships on August 30. Lei Zichen, a 13-year-old boy from Yichang, is a member of the team.
Chinese team won the bronze medal in the Mixed Team Free Combination final at the 2025 World Aquatics Youth Artistic Swimming Championships on August 30. Lei Zichen, a 13-year-old boy from Yichang, is a member of the team.
Chinese team score 310.3934 points for the bronze of Mixed Team Free Combination at the World Aquatics Youth Artistic Swimming Championships held in Athens, Greece on August 30.
Lei's achievement highlighted the success of Yichang's youth sports development system. The Yichang Sports School and the Gezhouba Experimental Primary School have established a joint training base for gymnastics and diving. This base has produced over 30 athletes who have advanced to provincial and national teams. Many of them have gone on to earn medals at major domestic and international competitions.
Team China pose for photo after the award ceremony at the World Aquatics Youth Artistic Swimming Championships in Athens, Greece on August 30.Born in September 2011, Lei was selected by coach Hu Xiaoyong in 2014 while attending kindergarten. He trained in gymnastics and diving at the training base for three years. He was later admitted to the children’s sports schools of the Hongshan Sports Center and the Hubei Provincial Olympic Sports Center, where he transitioned to artistic swimming.
In 2024, Lei joined the Hubei provincial artistic swimming team and made his national debut at the National Artistic Swimming Championships in Wuhan, finishing sixth in the men's technical routine. Just months later, he dominated the 2024 China National Children's Synchronized Swimming (U Series) Competition in Qingdao, winning four gold medals.
Shi Gang contributed to this story.
