Zhang Yufei wins champion in the World Aquatics Championships

On the evening of July 24^th, Beijing time, in the Women's 100m Butterfly Final of the World Aquatics Championships 2023 held in Fukuoka, Japan, Zhang Yufei, a graduate student from Southeast University Class of 2022, delivered an excellent performance. Despite great pressure, she surpassed Canadian star athlete MacNeil and won the champion with a time of 56.12 seconds, earning the second gold medal for the Chinese Swimming Team at this year’s World Championships.

In the earlier stages of the Women’s 100m Butterfly event, Zhang Yufei finished the heats and semifinals with the time of 56.89 seconds and 56.40 seconds, respectively, both securing the top position. In the final, she led in the first half of the race, but MacNeil made a powerful surge during the second 50 meters and surpassed her. Undeterred, Zhang Yufei made a determined effort to catch up and, with a strong sprint, managed to reverse the outcome of the race and successfully won the gold medal in the event. This also marks Zhang Yufei’s first world championship gold medal.

In the Women's 4×100m Freestyle Relay final held on July 23^rd, the Chinese team, consisting of Cheng Yujie, Yang Junxuan, Wu Qingfeng, and Zhang Yufei, achieved a time of 3:32.40, breaking the Asian record and securing the bronze medal.