William Yang (swimmer)

William Yang
Personal information
Full nameWilliam Xu Yang
NationalityAustralian
Born (1998-10-11) 11 October 1998 (age 26)
Sydney
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
Medal record
Representing  Australia
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris 4×100 m freestyle
World Championships (LC)
Silver medal – second place 2022 Budapest 4×100 m freestyle
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Birmingham 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2022 Birmingham 4×100 m mixed freestyle

William Yang (born 11 October 1998) is an Australian swimmer.[1][2] He participated in the 2022 World Aquatics Championships and 2022 Commonwealth Games.[3][4]

Personal life

William's parents both are Chinese and he finished his primary school in Guangzhou. William graduated from Knox Grammar School in Sydney in 2016.[5] He is of Chinese descent.[6]

Career

In May 2023, William had a benign tumor in his spinal canal, impinging on a nerve which required immediate surgery.[5][7]

William came second at the 100m freestyle at the 2024 Australian Swimming Trials, achieving a personal best time of 48.08, 0.02 seconds slower than the Swimming Australia Olympic Qualifying Time of 48.06. He was selected in the Australian team for the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, William finished 15th overall with a time of 48.48 at the preliminary heats and a time of 48.42 at the first semi-final heat in his individual efforts in the 100 m freestyle.

Personal best times

Long course metres (50 m pool)

Event Time Meet Location Date Age Ref
50 m freestyle 22.23 2024 Australian Swimming Trials Brisbane, Australia 12 June 2024 25 [4]
100 m freestyle 48.08 2024 Australian Swimming Trials Brisbane, Australia 13 June 2024 25 [4]
50 m backstroke 24.98 Hancock Prospecting Australian National Championships Melbourne, Australia 11 April 2019 20 [4]

References

  1. ^ Cheng, Kevin (11 November 2022). "Taking time off helped 'jaded' Australian swimmer return to the pool like fish to water, win gold at Commonwealth Games". Special Broadcasting Service.
  2. ^ Mark, David (21 May 2022). "William Yang among new stars to emerge at national swimming titles". ABC News.
  3. ^ "William Xu Yang Results | Commonwealth Games Australia". commonwealthgames.com.au. 22 May 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d "William YANG | Results | World Aquatics Official". World Aquatics.
  5. ^ a b Jeffery, Nicole (10 May 2024). "Will Yang: The Olympic swim hopeful bridging the gap between Australia and China". The Guardian.
  6. ^ https://nsw.swimming.org.au/news-articles/meet-2024-olympic-athletes-william-yang#:~:text=POD%20POP%20UP%20STAT%3A%20Born,where%20he%20learned%20to%20swim.
  7. ^ Pelshaw, Anya (13 June 2024). "William Yang Makes First Olympic Roster Only 1 Year After Back Surgery To Remove Benign Tumor". SwimSwam.