Interview with Zhang Yufei: Enjoy this year's setbacks and look forward to breaking the 100 butterfly world record at the Asian Games

A new butterfly queen is born!

She's roaring, she's comparing hearts, she's waving, she's holding a five-star red flag and mascot, she's smiling like a flower. Indeed, she waited too long for this moment – before this competition, Tokyo Olympic champion Zhang Yufei still had six medals at the World Championships, all bronze (her teammates jokingly called her a bronze medalist). Especially at the World Championships in Budapest last July, she passed the champion by 1.12 seconds, missed the opportunity to complete the 200-meter butterfly "Grand Slam", and made her feel the pain of the cone.

On the evening of July 24, in the women's 100m final of the Fukuoka Swimming World Championships, Zhang Yufei's main opponents were McNeill of Canada, the Tokyo Olympic champion and world record holder, as well as the previous world champion Husk of the United States and Mackeon of Australia. After the start, Zhang Yufei took a slight lead in the first 50 meters, but the gap between the two competitors was very small. In the first 35 meters after returning, McNeill took the lead and swam to the front, but the race was not over, Zhang Yufei broke out in the last 15 meters, held his breath and accelerated a few times to rush to the lead again, and won his first world championship individual gold medal in 56.12 seconds.

After the race, Zhang Yufei made a domineering declaration, "I finally won the 100m butterfly championship, I believe I am the best!" ”

Reporter: Congratulations Yufei. This year there are two major competitions, one is now the World Championships and the other is the Asian Games. Before the game, many media will speculate that the Chinese team may focus on the Asian Games and are not optimistic about your performance at the World Championships.

Zhang Yufei: I believe that the results at this moment are the best answer. It is true that our focus this year is on the Asian Games, but that doesn't mean I just want to ignore this year's World Championships. Just to say, my later games will be better than now.

Reporter: In the 100-meter butterfly event, you won second place at the Tokyo Olympics, third at last year's World Championships, and won the championship at this year's World Championships.

Zhang Yufei: The 100m butterfly Olympic runner-up result is my best achievement, so I have no regrets. But last year's World Championships didn't play because of my personal reasons, which is really a pity. Tokyo Olympic women's 100m butterfly champion McNeill, bronze medalist Australia's McKeane, 2022 Budapest World Championships champion Hersk, we have competed more than once in this Olympic cycle, but every time I may be behind and in the downside, so I can win gold at this year's World Championships. I'm glad I proved myself. I hope that in next year's Olympics, we can swim together to achieve better results and add more brilliance to this project.

Another thing that makes me happy is that I understand that I am not at my best, maybe 90% of the Tokyo Olympics, but this competition, the heats, the semi-finals, the final, every shot and every meter is in my expectation, and I believe I am the best.

Reporter: Is it convenient to share your journey this year?

Yufei Zhang: I was a bit of a regret about missing the Grand Slam last year, I was a little hasty in my preparation, I didn't reach my goal, and I felt a little guilty about the fans who had been following me. But the goal has always been there, and I will work towards it. At that time, I was always at a low point, not only including the results, but also the change of my identity after the Olympics, which was a new state of life that I had never tried, so I was constantly accepting, constantly changing, and constantly groping for a new path. The coach advised me every day not to rush and take every step in a solid way. With the help of many people, I finally let go of the baggage and enjoyed every second of my hard work.

In the new Olympic cycle, I also adopted training methods and methods to use land physical fitness to drive water physical fitness. After several tests, I found that my physical fitness on land was not very good, and my performance on the water was not very good. So since May, I have been training my weak point - lower body strength - and achieved good results (I scored all six items in the team fitness test in June), and it seems that the effort has paid off.

Reporter: I see that you actually have your own tactics during this competition.

Zhang Yufei: From 2020 to 2022, my competition technique is basically "rushing forward and back topping": sprinting in the first half and trying to maintain speed in the second half. This year, the coach (head coach Choi Dengrong) was interested in practicing my ability in the back 50 meters in training, and this competition wanted to try to see if I could play it, and the effect was quite good. But I think it's not enough, and if we want to make a breakthrough at next year's Paris Olympics, we need to work harder.

Reporter: Because only Yang Junxuan won one gold medal at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, but tonight you and Qin Haiyang won two, is this overfulfilled? And then there's the 200-meter butterfly.

Zhang Yufei: It is true that the Chinese team did not perform well at last year's World Championships, and the overall level was lower than that of the Tokyo Olympics, so I think this World Championship is a normal level for the Chinese team. I personally strive to win another gold medal, and I also look forward to the Chinese team to achieve more gold medals and more medals in the next few days, so that the world can see China's (swimming) strength.

Reporter: Have you ever thought about breaking a world record?

Yufei Zhang: Since 2020, I have been longing for the world record of 100 butterflies, and now not only among my main opponents like I mentioned earlier, several of us have the strength to break the world record, in fact, we are short of a good time. Breaking a world record is not an easy thing to do, we need to do everything perfectly and then burst out at the same point in time. I'm looking forward to this moment, and I hope that we can make it happen at this year's Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Reporter: At the Asian Games more than two months later, you are also preparing to register for seven events.

Zhang Yufei: For me, it is not a small challenge to challenge so many events, and the same event is more difficult than the preliminary round, semi-final and final three shots. Whether it is the main item or the secondary item, if you want to make a breakthrough, the pressure is not small, and I hope that I can do better. In fact, since the end of the Tokyo Olympics, almost two years ago, I have not returned to the peak state of my body. Maybe for me, it's a trough now, and it's not just a trough in performance. After the Olympics, my original state of life has changed, a new state of life that I have never tried, so I am now constantly accepting, constantly changing, and constantly exploring a new path.

Reporter: If the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou 2022 breaks the world record, will the 2024 Paris Olympics set another world record?

Zhang Yufei: Of course! The world record was set by Sweden's Sjöström, and when I could swim just over 57 seconds, I looked up to and admired this big sister. Through my continuous efforts behind me, I got closer to her infinitely, and I felt that I could stand on the same starting platform with her and compete together, and I felt that I was extremely excited and happy. I also hope that in the future, I can become a senior that future generations can look up to and admire.