Fukuoka, Japan, July 24, 2023: China’s newly crowned world swimming champion, Zhang Yufei, has set her sights on breaking a world record at the Hangzhou Asian Games this September.
Zhang, who produced a storming finish to win the women’s 100m butterfly gold at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka on Monday evening, said her goal now was to break the world record.
The 25-year-old Zhang clocked 56.12 seconds to win her first gold medal at the world championships. Zhang’s next target is to take aim at Sarah Sjostrom’s world record of 55.48 set at the 2016 Olympics.
“Since 2020, the world record has always been my dream,” Zhang said through a translator after her victory in the women’s 100m butterfly.
“But we all know the world record is not easy to break. That’s why we need to work hard and be perfect. We need to find the perfect moment to do the perfect job to do the world record.
“So, right now, I think the top swimmers from other countries have an equal chance to break the world record.
“I hope the Asian Games is the perfect chance for me to break the record so let’s look forward to the world record broken,” she added, referring to the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8.
Zhang won two gold medals and two silvers at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, with her two golds coming within minutes of each other in the same morning session – in the women’s 200m butterfly and women’s 4x200m freestyle relay. She added two Olympic silver medals in the women’s 100m butterfly and 4 x 100m mixed medley relay.
Zhang’s gold medal on Monday evening was China’s third world championships gold in the women’s 100m butterfly as she joins the likes of Qian Hong (1991) and Liu Limin (1994) as world champions in the event.
(World Aquatics)