Tokyo Olympics: Zhang Yufei matches Sun Yang medal record – and could go one better
- ‘Butterfly Queen’ wins silver with mixed medley relay team before opting out of swim-off for 50m final spot but could yet be picked for 4x100m freestyle relay team
- Banned star Sun won two golds, a silver and a bronze at London 2012 while Zhang has two golds and two silvers
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In equalling Sun, Zhang becomes only the second Chinese swimmer to rack up four medals in a single Games but she is likely to have the chance to go one better in Sunday’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
There is a world where she could have had two shots at it, but the dramatic decision was made to stand her down from a swim-off for the last spot in the 50m freestyle final.
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Sun, who is missing from Tokyo after he was banned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport until February 2024, won his four at London 2012.
He took gold in the men’s 400m and 1,500m freestyle along with silver in the 200m contest and bronze as part of the 4 x 200m freestyle relay.
Sun’s London 2012 Olympics also saw him set a world record in the 1,500m freestyle, which still stands after the Tokyo Games.
“Butterfly Queen” Zhang’s medal haul so far is two golds and two silvers.
Zhang and her teammates Yang Junxuan, Tang Muhan and Li Bingjie shocked medal favourites Australia and the USA, stopping the clock in 7:40.33 to set a new world record.
The 23-year-old’s silvers came as China was beaten in the mixed relay and in the women’s 100m butterfly, which was won by Canada’s Maggie MacNeil.
Zhang will miss out on the 50m freestyle final, despite clocking the same time of 24.32 seconds as her compatriot Wu Qingfeng.
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They were set for a swim-off – immediately after Zhang had won silver in the mixed medley relay – but the team took the decision to stand Zhang down and allow Wu to take the eighth spot in tomorrow’s final.
However, Zhang could yet be named in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team in the final session in the pool. With another medal on the line the China team could lean on its Tokyo star for a final hurrah.
