SPORT / MISCELLANY
Two golds in a morning
Published: Jul 30, 2021 01:18 AM
Gold medalist Zhang Yufei holds a Chinese national flag during the victory ceremony after winning the women's 200-meter butterfly swimming competition on Thursday in Tokyo. Photo: VCG

Gold medalist Zhang Yufei holds a Chinese national flag during the victory ceremony after winning the women's 200-meter butterfly swimming competition on Thursday in Tokyo. Photo: VCG



China's butterfly specialist Zhang Yufei scored two gold medals in a morning on Thursday, as she won the women's 200-meter butterfly with a new Olympic record, and half an hour later, she contributed to China's 4x200-meter freestyle relay team's win and a new world record.

The Xuzhou-born Zhang, dubbed China's new "Butterfly Queen," is part of the country's new generation of rising stars. She and her swimming teammates Yang Junxuan, Li Bingjie and Tang Muhan swam in 7:40.33, ahead of swimming powerhouses the US (7:40.73) and Australia (7:41.29).

"I didn't expect we can win the gold medal in relay," Zhang, who was the third swimmer in the relay, told reporters after the race. 

Zhang also said she was anxious whether she could swim well in the relay, after finishing the 200-meter butterfly - considered one of the most exhausting disciplines in swimming.

"I was about to give up after 150 meters as I thought the other competitors were faster than me - I don't specialize in freestyle," Zhang said. 

Yang, who was fourth in the women's 200-meter freestyle, said Zhang's win in the 200-meter fly boosted the team's confidence in relay that led to their surprising performance that stunned world elite freestyle specialists, including Australian Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky of the US.  

Zhang, also a silver medalist in the 100-meter butterfly, has been in red-hot form since 2020. 

Her record of 2:03.86 in the women's 200-meter fly - the quickest time posted in 12 years and the third-fastest time ever - was more than 1 second ahead of American swimmers Regan Smith and Hali Flickinger, who finished second and third respectively.

Zhang, who finished sixth in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics final, could not stop smiling at the awarding ceremony.

The triumphs of Zhang and the relay team on Thursday mean the Chinese national swimming squad  has shrugged off their reliance on certain male athletes to win in swimming.

The 23-year-old also revealed her nervousness before the 200-meter butterfly final.

"Before the 200-meter butterfly I really wanted this medal but I felt more nervous about it," she told a news conference. "Before the race, my coach told me, 'You don't need to think too much... Be yourself and the result may even exceed expectations.'"

Zhang hopes to claim her third individual medal in Tokyo in the 50-meter freestyle, which starts on Friday.

Zhang Yufei starts in the women's 200-meter butterfly final at the 2020 Summer Olympics on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: VCG

Zhang Yufei starts in the women's 200-meter butterfly final at the 2020 Summer Olympics on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: VCG