Tokyo Olympics: China’s ‘Butterfly Queen’ Zhang Yufei surprised to be handed freestyle role in world record-breaking relay
- The 23-year-old, who finished sixth in Rio 2016, says she has gone from being a ‘newborn’ to ‘shouldering responsibility’
- ‘I didn’t even know how to swim the 200m [freestyle relay],’ says Zhang after surprise gold medal performance
Zhang Yufei won China’s first two swimming gold medals within an hour after setting an Olympic record in the 200m butterfly, then leading the 4x200m freestyle relay team to a shock world record at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on Thursday.
The 23-year-old Xuzhou native, known as the “Butterfly Queen” ever since dominating the 2018 Asian Games with three golds and a silver, had missed out at the Rio Games five years ago when she finished a disappointing sixth.
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“In 2015, I was a newborn and didn’t know anything. At Rio 2016, I wanted to come in the top three but I didn’t expect it to be so tough,” she said. “Many netizens said I might be the next ‘Butterfly Queen’, but the expectations were not met. Over the past year I thought it was time to shoulder that responsibility.”
Zhang was both teary-eyed and brimming with pride after her Olympic record-breaking time of 2:03.86. After collecting her medal on the podium before her rapturous teammates in the stands, she proceeded to wave and cover her American counterparts Regan Smith and Hali Flickinger in the Chinese flag.
“Before the 200m butterfly I really wanted this medal but I felt nervous about it,” she said. “My coach told me before the race that I didn’t need to think too much … ‘just be yourself and you will be champion, and the result may even exceed expectations and even the record’,” she said. “Of course, hearing that I thought he was just joking.”
