Finally, Zhang is butterfly queen

TOKYO • Zhang Yufei wrapped herself in a Chinese flag and beamed with joy after setting an Olympic record en route to victory yesterday morning in the women's 200m butterfly final.

Less than half an hour later, the 23-year-old joined teammates Yang Junxuan, Li Bingjie and Tang Muhan and they stunned the field to win the 4x200m freestyle relay gold, smashing the world record in 7min 40.33sec ahead of the United States (7:40.73) and Australia (7:41.29).

It was the first time neither Australia nor the US had won the event since it was introduced in 1996. All three teams were under the previous world record of 7:41.50 set by Australia at the 2019 world championships.

"Before the 200m fly I really wanted this medal but I felt more nervous about it," Zhang said.

"Before the race, my coach told me I don't need to think too much. Be yourself and you will be champion and the result may even exceed expectations and even the record.

"Of course hearing that I thought he was just joking."

Zhang, who finished runner-up to Canada's Margaret MacNeil in the 100m fly, touched the wall in 2:03.86 for the 200m fly, well ahead of Americans Regan Smith (2:05.30) and Hali Flickinger (2:05.65) to win China's first swimming gold in Tokyo.

Waving her arms and cheering after the win, a teary-eyed Zhang, who finished sixth in the Rio final, soaked up the moment, beaming at her teammates in the stands after exiting the pool as they chanted her name.

Xuzhou-born Zhang, dubbed China's "Butterfly Queen", is part of the country's new generation of rising stars emerging from the shadow of Olympic and world champion Sun Yang, who has been banned from competing for four years due to doping violations.

"In 2015, I was a newborn and didn't know anything. In 2016 at Rio, I wanted to come in the top three but I didn't expect it to be so tough," she noted.

Zhang said in 2015 "many netizens said I might be the next butterfly queen, but the expectations were not met... but over the last year I thought it was time to shoulder that responsibility."

American Caeleb Dressel, on his own quest to carve out a legacy, won his second gold of the Games to stay on track for a potential six-medal haul.

The 100m freestyle world champion powered to victory in an Olympic record 47.02sec, finishing six hundredths of a second ahead of Rio 2016 winner Kyle Chalmers of Australia, with Russian Kliment Kolesnikov (47.44) taking the bronze.

It was Dressel's fourth Olympic gold but his first in an individual event, having picked up two relay medals in Rio and the 4x100m freestyle relay in Tokyo.

"I wasn't worried about anything at all... it means a lot, I knew the weight was on my shoulders," he said.

"It's a really tough year, it's really hard. So, to have the results show up, it really came together, I'm happy."

He will also race the 50m free and 100m butterfly and could feature in two other relays.

His 13 world titles have prompted inevitable comparisons with compatriot Michael Phelps - winner of eight Olympic golds at the 2008 Beijing Games and 23 in total.

Dressel's teammate Bobby Finke clinched the 800m free with a dramatic late surge ahead of Italian world champion Gregorio Paltrinieri, who led all the way until the 750m turn before Finke powered home in 7:41.87. Paltrinieri was 0.24sec behind with Ukraine's Mykhailo Romanchuk (7:42.33) third.

There was also drama in the men's 200m breaststroke final as Australia's Zac Stubblety-Cook produced a stunning final 50m swim to win in an Olympic record of 2:06.38, ahead of Dutchman Arno Kamminga (2:07.01), who had led after the first three laps, and Finland's Matti Mattsson (2:07.13).

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE