SHENZHEN swimmer Tang Muhan and her teammates secured a bronze medal for China in the women’s 4X200m freestyle relay in Paris on Friday. This was Shenzhen’s first medal at the Paris Olympics. During the preliminary round of the women’s freestyle relay race Thursday, Tang swam the first leg for the Chinese team. Her performance helped the team finish in third place with a time of seven minutes 52.36 seconds, securing a place in the final. The following day, the team won the bronze in the women’s 4X200m freestyle relay final with a time of seven minutes 42.34 seconds. Although Tang didn’t swim in the final, she was entitled to share in the honor alongside her fellow Chinese swimmers who competed in both the preliminary and final races under the rules of the World Swimming Federation. Born Sept. 4, 2003 in Northeast China’s Jilin Province, Tang began learning to swim at the age of 7. Her natural aptitude for swimming became apparent when she mastered breaststroke after only three days of training, according to Shenzhen Special Zone Daily. Tang commenced professional training at the Bayi Swimming Club at age 9. In 2014, she relocated to Shenzhen to join the city’s swimming team. Known for her affinity for water and rigorous training regimen, she swam about 15,000 meters each day. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, she set a world record that helped the Chinese team win gold in the women’s 4X200m freestyle relay final. (Wei Jie) |