Zhejiang's Sun Yang, local hero and 1500m freestyle world champion and record holder for the past year, cracked out a 3:42.31 victory in the 400m freestyle to extend his lead at the helm of the world rankings for 2012 after a 3:42.89 effort in January at his Australia base in Miami on the Australian Gold Coast with coach Dennis Cotterell. 

The eight-lap race saw Zhang Lin, 2009 world champion over 800m and Beijing 2008 silver medallist over 400m as a local man made good, miss out, as Hao Yun, 16 and from Hebei, clocked 3:46.01 for silver and 18-year-old Li Yunqi, Henan, bronze in 3:49.12, o0.2sec ahead of Beijing's Zhang. 

The teenager's had already swum quicker this year, on 3:45.49 for Li and 3:45.69for Hao at the Miami meet in January. That was Hao's first appearance on the world rankings.

In the women's 200m medley, world champion Ye Shiwen, Zhejiang, nestled into the world rankings at second so far this year with a 2:09.43 victory ahead of seven others who did not make the FINA A cut.

In the 100m freestyle, Tang Yi, Shanghai, became the first Chinese woman to get inside what was the 1994 world record of Le Jingyi in the midst of a doping crisis for the country. Le won the 1994 world crown in 54.01, a world mark that stood until Inge de Bruijn (NED) cracked it in 2000. The closest anyone had come to Le's 1994 time in China was Zhu Yingwen, on 54.03 in 2005, while Tang had threatened with a 54.08 last year.

Within weeks of the storming of Rome by Chinese women, seven of the national team tested positive for steroids and were banned. By the time the crisis was over and anti-doping rules toughened in line with policies that FINA was forced to take in the face of a storm of protest from coaches and swimmers around true world, more than 40 positive test s haunted China. 

Today, 18-year-old Tang, raised in a different environment, clocked 53.71, second best ever by a Chines woman after the otherwordly 53.13 of Pang Jiaying at China Games in October 2009 before non-textile suits were banned. Tang was the only one in the final inside FINA A cut, though the 4x100m relay is likely to see five others travel to London in the summer.

China's London 2012 selection rules require a minimum of FINA A standard, leaving Zhang out in the cold regardless of his having been beaten. The nationals are not the only Olympic qualification meet for the Chinese.

In the 400m, Zhang shadowed Sun to half-way before fading and being overhauled by the youngsters in his midst, both of whom work with Cotterell in Australia, the mentor of Grant Hackett having overseen China's push past the land from Down Under in men's distance freestyle, something that would have been unthinkable not that many years ago.

Zhang became the first Chinese man in decades to hold a world swimming record with a 7:32.12 win in the 800m at Rome 2009 at a time of shiny suits. A year later he had faded from the pace and made headlines at home when he failed to medal at the Asian Games in 2010.

"I tasted the bitterness of failure in Asian Games, but I could accept it. This time I will accept it either," he told Xinhua today. "The competitive sports is always cruel but it is part of its charm. After all the ups and downs I am more mature now. Actually I had been away from competition for a long time and I think I just lost my rhythm."

In other events:

Women's 400m freestyle

Shao Yiwen, Zhejiang, settled an argument with Xing Xin, Shandong, 4:05.88 to 4:05.93, to enter the world top 10- at 9th and 10th. The bronze going to Xhou Lili, Shanghai, in 4:08.64.

Women's 200m medley:

World champion Ye Shiwen, Zhejiang, nestled into the world rankings at second so far this year with a 2:09.43 victory ahead of Zheng Rongrong, Zhejiang, 2:12.18, and Li Jiaxing, Guangzhou Army, 2:13.17.

Men's 100m backstroke:

Cheng Feiyi, Liaoning, entered the world top 10 in 10th with a 53.87 win over He Jianbin, Guangdong, 54.25, and Lin Yongqing, Liaoning, 55.27. The top two both swam inside FINA A cut.

Women's 100m freestyle

Tang Yi, of Shanghai, clocked 53.71, a best time and her first time inside the 53.88 she clocked back in 2009 as a 16-year-old in a non-textile suit. The silver went to Qiu Yuhan, Liaoning, 55.04, the bronze to Wang Haibing, Guangzhou Army, 55.18. All others finished between 55.28 and 55.66, the China 4x100m freestyle relay likely to be a touch stronger come the summer in London.

Results at a glance:

Men's 50m butterfly:

• 1. Wu Peng, Zhejiang, 23.72 seconds
• 2. Zhou Jiawei, Guangdong, 23.84
• 3. Zhang Qibin, Shandong, 24.04
• 4. Jin Yuli, Guizhou, 24.12
• 5. Hu Chao, Jiangxi, 24.42

Women's 400m freestyle:

• 1. Shao Yiwen, Zhejiang, 4:05.88
• 2. Xing Xin, Shangdong, 4:05.93
• 3. Xhou Lili, Shanghai, 4:08.64
• 4. Xu Danlu, Ningxia, 4:09.77
• 8. Ha Sinan, Hebei, 4:15.59

Men's 400m freestyle:

• 1. Sun Yang, Zhejiang, 3:42.31
• 2. Hao Yun, Hebei, 3:46.01
• 3. Li Yunqi, Henan, 3:49.12
• 4. Zhang Lin, Beijing, 3:49.14
• 5. Dan Jun, Shanghai, 3:49.24

Women's 200m individual medley:

• 1. Ye Shiwen, Zhejiang, 2:09.43
• 2. Zheng Rongrong, Zhejiang, 2:12.18
• 3. Li Jiaxing, Guangzhou Army, 2:13.17
• 4. Zhang Sishi, Shanghai, 2:13.43
• 5. Chen Xinyi, Shanghai, 2:13.77

Men's 100m backstroke:

• 1. Cheng Feiyi, Liaoning, 53.87
• 2. He Jianbin, Guangdong, 54.25
• 3. Lin Yongqing, Liaoning, 55.27
• 4. Zhang Yu, Beijing, 55.28
• 5. Sun Xiaolei, Shanghai, 55.45

Women's 100m freestyle:

• 1. Tang Yi, Shanghai, 53.71
• 2. Qiu Yuhan, Liaoning, 55.04
• 3. Wang Haibing, Guangzhou Army, 55.18
• 4. Shen Duo, Jiangsu, 55.28
• 5. Wang Shijia, Liaoning, 55.30
• 6. Zhu Qianwei, Shanghai, 55.34

Men's 4x100m freestyle relay:

• 1. Beijing, 3:19.01
• 2. Shanghai, 3:20.62
• 3. Zhejiang, 3:21.10
• 4. Jiangsu, 3:22.46
• 5. Guangdong, 3:24.33