RIO DE JANEIRO - Spain's Mireia Belmonte Garcia prevented China from winning an unprecedented hat-trick of women's 200m butterfly Olympic golds on Wednesday, touching home in 2min 4.85sec.
Australian Madeline Groves finished second at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in 2:04.88. world champion Natsumi Hoshi of Japan took bronze (2:05.20).
"I didn't believe it and even now I don't believe it," said Belmonte Garcia, Spain's first gold medallist at the Rio Games. "Now I have to rest because tomorrow I have the (800m freestyle) and I have to try to sleep."
China's Zhou Yilin was fifth (2:07.37) while compatriot Zhang Yufei was sixth (2:07.40).
The Asian powerhouse produced 200m butterfly champions at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Games in the form of Liu Zige and Jiao Liuyang respectively.