Yan Zibei qualifies for semifinals with Asian record in men's 50m breaststroke at FINA Worlds

GWANGJU, South Korea - China's Yan Zibei qualified for the semifinals with a new Asian record in the men's 50m breaststroke heats at the 18th FINA World Championships here on Tuesday.

Yan closed 26.93 seconds in the preliminaries, ending the race in sixth place. The 23-year-old just won a bronze medal in the men's 100m breaststroke final on Monday, cracking the Asian record set by himself in the semifinals in Gwangju.

"I feel very good after the race. When I swam in the 100m breaststroke heats [on Sunday], I was a bit nervous, but my state of mind got increasingly better," Yan said.

"Yesterday, I fulfilled my wish, so what is left to me is just enjoying the game...This year's championship is a chance to build up my experience for [next year's] Olympic Games...I can gradually improve myself every race," Yan noted.

Despite his record-breaking performance, Yan was not fast enough to overcome Adam Peaty of Britain who finished first in the 50m breaststroke trials with a time of 26.28 seconds.