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Fourteen years after making his debut at the World Aquatics Championships, China's Wang Shun knows that winning a world title is becoming increasingly challenging. But the 31-year-old former Olympic champion is not ready to give up just yet.
Wang, who captured gold in the 200m individual medley at the Tokyo 2020, finished seventh in Thursday's final, clocking 1:57.92 - well off his personal best of 1:54.62 and slower than the 1:56.00 that earned him bronze at last year's Paris Olympics.
Wang Shun of China competes during the men's 200m individual medley final of swimming at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, July 31, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
"I don't think I was fully activated today," Wang said. "I felt a bit soft overall. At the start, I didn't push out strongly or decisively enough."
His journey on the world stage began in 2011 in Shanghai, where the 17-year-old Wang finished 18th in his signature event - the men's 200m individual medley - as American Ryan Lochte set a then-world record of 1:54.00.
That mark was shattered on Wednesday by France's Leon Marchand, who clocked 1:52.69 in the semifinals, raising the bar even higher for the next generation.
"It's been an emotional journey," Wang said. "Back in 2011, Lochte broke the world record - that was a benchmark for me to chase. Now in my eighth Worlds, Marchand breaks it again. There's always someone ahead to catch up with. That's what keeps us moving forward."
Marchand, just 23 years old, now holds both the 200m and 400m IM world records and has already secured four Olympic gold medals and six world titles.
"First of all, congratulations to Marchand for breaking the world record - it's an incredibly inspiring result," Wang said. "It's truly an unbelievable performance and really uplifting for all of us."
While Wang remains the only Asian man to have ever won Olympic gold in the 200m IM, a world title still eludes him. He previously earned bronze in the event at the 2015 Kazan and 2017 Budapest championships.
"This is already my eighth World Championships," Wang said. "Every time, I can feel how opponents and the field are evolving. Especially after last year's Olympics, everyone seems to have stepped up. In the 200m IM, the overall level has risen really quickly. Sometimes I just have to sigh in awe - the rate of progress in this sport is incredibly fast."
Asked if he still dreams of winning a world title, Wang smiled. "Chasing dreams and staying passionate - that's what matters most," he said. "We need to face challenges, fatigue, and worry with courage, and keep a brave heart moving forward."
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