Zixuan Wang is a PhD student in the Balasubramanian group and also made a splash with an open water swim in Shanghai. The 2025 Dishui Lake Open Water Swim Challenge is a 2 km open water swimming event in Shanghai, which drew around 2,500 participants. She completed the swim in 35 minutes, placing 36th overall and 9th among all female swimmers, a result she was absolutely thrilled with.

Inspired by the Balasubramanian Group administrator, Jo Lockhart, Zixuan notes: “What made this even more special is that it was my very first open water swim. I’ve always been an indoor swimmer, strictly sticking to the pool, but Jo Lockhart encouraged me to give open water swimming a try. She’s an incredibly enthusiastic open water swimmer who swims outdoors almost every day — something I’ve always admired. Thanks to her inspiration, I took the plunge (literally!) and discovered how exhilarating swimming in open water can be.”