World University Games: Zhang Yufei Destroys Longstanding Record in 50 Freestyle
The final day of competition at the World University Games in Chengdu offered China’s Zhang Yufei the opportunity to add to her collection of titles on home turf. The schedule saw Zhang opening the evening’s slate with the 50-meter freestyle, followed by duty in the 400 medley relay at the close of the evening. The two swims helped Zhang finished the meet with nine gold medals overall, while teammate Li Bingjie captured eight golds, including in the 400 freestyle and the aforementioned medley relay on the final night.
Here is what unfolded on the last night of action:
Women’s 50 Freestyle (Final)
As expected, Zhang Yufei zoomed to the gold medal in the one-lap sprint, and she did so in style. Coming off a silver medal in the event at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Zhang claimed the title in the 50 freestyle in a World University Games record of 24.29. That performance blew away the 10-year-old standard of 24.48, set in 2013 by Belarus’ Aliaksandra Herasimenia. The gold complemented previous individual crowns by Zhang in the 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly and 100 butterfly.
South Africa’s Erin Gallagher claimed the silver medal behind a swim of 25.05 while Cypress’ Kalia Antoniou was the bronze medalist in 25.11.
Men’s 50 Freestyle (Final)
Italy’s Giovanni Izzo registered a convincing triumph in the final of the 50 free, as his time of 22.17 was well clear of silver medalist Lucas Martins Costa Peixoto, who touched the wall in 22.38. The bronze medal went to Lithuania’s Jokubas Keblys in 22.39.
Women’s 50 Breaststroke (Final)
Lithuania’s Kotryna Teterevkova completed her sweep of the breaststroke events with gold in the 50 distance. Teterevkova was never challenged while producing a mark of 30.58, which was nearly a half-second up on the silver-medal time of Poland’s Dominika Sztandera, who touched in 31.02. Rounding out the podium was Brazil’s Jhennifer Alves da Conceicao, who clocked a 31.11.
Women’s 200 Butterfly (Final)
Italy’s Antonella Crispino led for the entire race in the 200 fly, but she had to battle down the stretch as Hungary’s Dalma Sebestyen closed in. Crispino led by more than a half-second at the halfway point, but the margin fell to just 15-hundredths at the final wall. But she fought to finish two hundredths ahead of Sebestyen, 2:09.1o to 2:09.12. Japan’s Chihi Mizuguchi placed third in 2:09.65.
Men’s 400 IM (Final)
Japanese teammates Kaito Tabuchi and Ei Kamikawabata traded the lead through the first half of the 400 IM, with Tabuchi pacing the field after butterfly and Kamikawabata opening up a half-second margin following backstroke. But Tauchi asserted himself on the breaststroke. Even with Italy’s Pier Andrea Matteazzi closing in, Tabuchi would not be caught on the back end, touching in 4:15.12 to finish ahead of Matteazzi by a half-second, with the latter swimmer touchin in 4:15.64. Kamikawabata placed third in 4:17.87.
Women’s 400 Freestyle (Final)
China’s Li Bingjie won her third individual gold medal of the meet as she pulled away from Hungary’s Ajna Kesely on the final 100. The margin between the duo was only 12-hundredths at the halfway point and 21-hundredths with 100 meters remaining, but Li’s typical closing speed took over as she came home in 1:01.25. Li finished in 4:08.38, followed by Kesely’s 4:09.50. Bronze went to Italy’s Antonietta Cesarano in 4:10.49.
Women’s 400 Medley Relay (Final)
China completed a sweep of the women’s relays, but it required a near-superhuman butterfly split from Zhang Yufei to overcome a three-second deficit at the halfway point. China trailed Poland after the breaststroke leg, but Zhang took over and split 55.47, faster than either of her fly splits from the World Championships, including a golden Chinese effort in the mixed 400 medley relay. That gave Li Bingjie, fresh off her win in the 400 free, a two-tenth advantage, and Li closed in 54.16 to secure Chinese gold in 3:59.67. Liu Yaxin and Zhu Leiju provided the first two legs of this golden swim.
Zhang finishes the meet with nine gold medals overall, including individual honors in the 50 and 100 fly plus the 50 and 100 free plus five relays. For Li, the total is eight golds, with the 400, 800 and 1500 free wins accompanying the five relays.
Poland took second with Adela Piskorska, Dominika Sztandera, Paulina Peda and Kornelia Fiedkiewicz clocking 4:00.67. Japan’s Yumi Shuno, Haruna Ogata, Natsuki Hiroshita and Shihi Matsumoto took bronze in 4:02.82.
Men’s 400 Medley Relay (Final)
One day after completing the individual breaststroke sweep, Qin Haiyang provided the decisive split in China’s men’s medley relay win, clocking 57.65 to move his team into a first-place position that Chen Juner and Lin Tao would not surrender. Wang Gukailai led off into Qin’s split while Chen clocked 51.37 on butterfly, which was two tenths better than China’s fly split in a silver-medal relay at the recent World Championships. China’s time of 3:32.58 beat the Games record of 3:32.80 set by Japan in 2009.
Italy kept it close with China, with Simone Stefani leading off in 53.77 and Giovanni Izzo anchoring in 47.97 to come within six tenths of the gold. The team of Stefani, Alessandro Pinzuti, Christian Ferraro and Izzo took silver in 3:33.14, with Japan’s Riku Matsuyama, Yamato Fukasawa, Genki Terakado and Juran Mizohata scoring bronze in 3:35.04.
