View source for Le Jingyi

{{Short description|Chinese swimmer (born 1975)}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox swimmer
| name = Le Jingyi
| image = 
| imagesize = 
| caption = 
| fullname = 乐靖宜
| nicknames = 
| nationality = {{CHN}}
| strokes = [[Freestyle swimming|Freestyle]]
| club = 
| collegeteam = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1975|03|19}}
| birth_place = [[Shanghai]], China
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| height = 178 cm
| weight = 68 kg
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates = 
{{MedalSport | Women's [[Swimming (sport)|swimming]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{CHN}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Swimming at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]] | [[Swimming at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's 100 metre freestyle|100 m freestyle]] }}
{{MedalSilver | [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Barcelona]] | [[Swimming at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay|4×100 m freestyle]] }}
{{MedalSilver | [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]] | [[Swimming at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's 50 metre freestyle|50 m freestyle]] }}
{{MedalSilver | [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]] | [[Swimming at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay|4×100 m freestyle]] }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[FINA World Aquatics Championships|World Championships (LC)]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1994 World Aquatics Championships|1994 Rome]] | 50 m freestyle }}
{{MedalGold | [[1994 World Aquatics Championships|1994 Rome]] | [[Swimming at the 1994 World Aquatics Championships – Women's 100 metre freestyle|100 m freestyle]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1994 World Aquatics Championships|1994 Rome]] | 4×100 m freestyle }}
{{MedalGold | [[1994 World Aquatics Championships|1994 Rome]] | 4×100 m medley }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)|World Championships (SC)]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1993 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)|1993 Palma]] | 50 m freestyle }}
{{MedalGold | [[1993 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)|1993 Palma]] | 100 m freestyle }}
{{MedalGold | [[1993 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)|1993 Palma]] | 4×100 m freestyle }}
{{MedalGold | [[1993 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)|1993 Palma]] | 4×200 m freestyle }}
{{MedalGold | [[1993 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)|1993 Palma]] | 4×100 m medley }}
{{MedalGold | [[1995 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)|1995 Rio]] | 50 m freestyle }}
{{MedalGold | [[1995 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)|1995 Rio]] | 100 m freestyle }}
{{MedalGold | [[1995 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)|1995 Rio]] | 4×100 m freestyle }}
{{MedalGold | [[1997 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)|1997 Gothenburg]] | 4×100 m freestyle }}
{{MedalGold | [[1997 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)|1997 Gothenburg]] | 4×100 m medley }}
{{MedalBronze | [[1997 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)|1997 Gothenburg]] | 50 m freestyle }}
{{MedalBronze | [[1997 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)|1997 Gothenburg]] | 100 m freestyle }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|Pan Pacific Championships]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1997 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1997 Fukuoka]] | 50 m freestyle }}
{{MedalSilver | [[1997 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1997 Fukuoka]] | 100 m freestyle }}
{{MedalSilver | [[1997 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|1997 Fukuoka]] | 200 m freestyle }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Summer Universiade]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1993 Summer Universiade|1993 Buffalo]] | [[Swimming at the 1993 Summer Universiade|50 m freestyle]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1993 Summer Universiade|1993 Buffalo]] | [[Swimming at the 1993 Summer Universiade|100 m freestyle]] }}
}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Le (surname)|Le]]|lang=Chinese}}

'''Le Jingyi''' ({{zh|s=乐靖宜|t=樂靖宜|p=Lè Jìngyí}}; born March 19, 1975, in [[Shanghai]]) is a former [[swimmer]] from [[China]] who won the gold medal in the 100 metres freestyle at the [[1996 Summer Olympics]] in [[Atlanta]], [[United States|USA]].

In 1992, Le won the silver medal in the 4×100 metres freestyle relay (3:40.12) at the [[1992 Summer Olympics]] in [[Barcelona]], and also finished 6th in the 100&nbsp;m free (55.89).  In 1993 she defeated her teammate, Olympic champion Zhuang Yong, to become national champion in the 100&nbsp;m free (54.72, 2nd globally after Franziska van Almsick).  In December 1993, she won 4 golds, all in world record times, at the 1st ever World Short Course Championships in Spain (50&nbsp;m free: 24.23; 100&nbsp;m free: 53.01; 4×100&nbsp;m free relay: 3:35.97 and 4×100&nbsp;m medley reply: 3:57.73).

She won the title in the 100 metres freestyle at the [[1994 World Aquatics Championships]] in [[Rome]], setting a world record with a time of 54.01 seconds.  She also set a world record in the 50 metres freestyle (24.51) and anchored two world record-setting relays.  She also won 3 golds in the 1995 Short Course Worlds in Brazil.

At the Atlanta Olympics, she won the 100&nbsp;m freestyle (54.50) and won silver medals in the 4×100 metres freestyle relay (3:40.48) and the 50 metres freestyle (24.90).

Le continued to compete in 1997, winning the 50&nbsp;m freestyle (25.24) and taking silver in the 10 0m (54.86) and 200 m (2:00.54) at the Pan Pacific Championships.  At the 1997 Chinese National Games, she was upset by Shan Ying in the 50 m (24.71 to 24.88), though she took gold in the 100 m (54.10, 2nd fastest all-time).

Le competed at the 1998 World Championships in Perth but only swam in relays. She recorded the slowest split (57.59) among all 32 swimmers in the 4×100&nbsp;m free relay final, where the Chinese team placed 8th.

In 2000, Le made an attempt to qualify for her third Olympics but was off-form to make it into the team.

While Le had been Olympic champion and world champion many times, she had never won a medal at the Asian Games.  She competed in the 1994 Games in Hiroshima, entering the 50&nbsp;m free and 4×100&nbsp;m free relay.  In the 50 free, she set a Games record (25.26) in the heats but was disqualified in the final for a false start.  In the 4×100&nbsp;m free relay, the Chinese team won (Le swam the 2nd leg and split 54.14) but was subsequently stripped of their gold when Lu Bin failed a doping test.

She was the face of the rising power of Chinese swimming in the mid-1990s. Due to her muscular build, she was one of many Chinese swimmers suspected of using steroids during the 1990s.  Though several others were later found guilty of doping, she never tested positive for any illegal substances.

==See also==
* [[World record progression 50 metres freestyle]]

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070311041119/http://en.beijing2008.com/60/93/article211929360.shtml Profile from official 2008 Summer Olympics Website]
* [http://www.cnnsi.com/events/1996/olympics/daily/july22/column.html Damning of Champions, SI.com, July 22, 1996] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20120306063949/http://www.cnnsi.com/events/1996/olympics/daily/july22/column.html archive])

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|aw}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Yang Wenyi]]
| title = [[World record progression 50 metres freestyle|Women's 50 metre freestyle<br />world record holder (long course)]]
| years = September 11, 1994 – May 26, 2000
| after = [[Inge de Bruijn]]
}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Jenny Thompson]]
| title = [[World record progression 100 metres freestyle|Women's 100 metre freestyle<br />world record holder (long course)]]
| years = Sep 5, 1994 – May 28, 2000
| after = [[Inge de Bruijn]]
}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Wang Junxia]]
| title = [[United Press International Athlete of the Year Award#Female winners|United Press International<br />Athlete of the Year]]
| after = [[Gwen Torrence]]
| years = 1994
}}
{{succession box
| title = [[Swimming World Swimmers of the Year|World Pacific Rim Swimmer of the Year]]
| before = [[Susie O'Neill]]
| after = [[Samantha Riley]]
| years = 1996
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions 100 m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer World LC Champions 50m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer World LC Champions 100m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer World LC Champions 4x100m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer World LC Champions 4x100m Medley Women}}
{{Footer World SC Champions 50m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer World SC Champions 100m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer World SC Champions 4x100m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer World SC Champions 4x200m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer World SC Champions 4x100m Medley Women}}
{{Footer Pan Pacific Champions 50m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer Universiade Champions 50m Freestyle Women}}
{{Footer Universiade Champions 100m Freestyle Women}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Le, Jingyi}}
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:World record setters in swimming]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for China]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for China]]
[[Category:Olympic swimmers for China]]
[[Category:Swimmers from Shanghai]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Chinese female freestyle swimmers]]
[[Category:World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:Summer World University Games medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:FISU World University Games gold medalists for China]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1993 Summer Universiade]]
[[Category:21st-century Chinese women]]
[[Category:20th-century Chinese sportswomen]]