The Tokyo Olympics wins two golds and two silvers, the Chinese women's butterfly returns to the top of the world
Zhang Yufei: Dad is cheering for me in the sky
The 23-year-old Xuzhou girl Zhang Yufei performed amazingly at the Tokyo Olympics. During the 9-day swimming schedule, she competed almost every day and participated in 6 competitions. Together with the preliminaries, semi-finals, and finals, she listened to 12 shots in total. , Won two golds and two silvers (women's 200m butterfly gold medal, women's 4x200m freestyle relay gold medal, women's 100m butterfly silver medal, 4x100m men's and women's medley relay silver medal) and became a Chinese swimmer in a single Olympic venue The athlete with the most medals.
Due to time conflicts, in order to ensure good results in the group event of the women's 4×100m medley relay, she gave up the opportunity to compete with teammate Wu Qingfeng for the women's 50m freestyle final qualification.
In addition, all the projects she participated in have entered the finals.
The silver medal in the 100-meter butterfly and the gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly are enough to illustrate Zhang Yufei's dominance of the women's butterfly level in the world.
The level of Chinese women's butterfly swimming has long been at the forefront of the world swimming. From Qian Hong in the "Five Golden Flowers" to Zhou Yafei, Liu Zige, Jiao Liuyang, and Lu Ying, they have maintained the world's top standards and results.
After the two Olympic champions Liu Zige and Jiao Liuyang retired, and Lu Ying got married and had children and left the front line, the Chinese women's butterfly had a short period of downturn.
But now, with the emergence of Zhang Yufei, Chinese women's swimming has once again turned into a butterfly in this event, breaking the barriers surrounded by international swimming masters, and standing on the top of the world again.
Zhang Yufei became the new queen of China, Asia, and even the world.
Into the water at the age of 3
Young fame and high talent
On April 19, 1998, Zhang Yufei was born in a sports family in Xuzhou, Jiangsu. His parents were swimming coaches.
According to her mother Zhang Min's memories, Xiao Yufei started to go into the water with her mother when she was 3 years old.
Zhang Yufei once recalled: "Because my parents are swimming coaches, I seem to be soaking in the water every day and swimming every day since I can remember. I threw it in the water."
If it was said that he went into the water at the age of 3 for fun, when Xiao Yufei was 5 years old, his mother began to seriously consider the issue of her daughter's systematic learning to swim.
After enrolling in the first grade at Minzhu Road Elementary School in Xuzhou City, which has a swimming tradition, Zhang Yufei began to learn to swim with his enlightenment coach Kong Miao.
Zhang Yufei's super talent and outstanding physical quality attracted the attention of the coach. Kong Miao said that Zhang Yufei had been training at the Xuzhou Aquatic Center until he was 12 years old. In September 2010, he was selected for the Jiangsu Provincial Team.
"When she was eight or nine years old, this child's talent began to show up. During training, Yu Fei was always the first to take the initiative to challenge big athletes in the same group or other groups. In the beginning, she still lost more than she lost. Later, as the level improved, swimming faster and faster, it became more wins and less losses. She was very eager to win the competition since she was a child. When Yu Fei was 11 years old, I took her to participate in a children's swimming in Jiangsu Province. In the competition, she won two championships, the first one was the butterfly stroke."
Kong Miao once gave Zhang Yufei a lactic acid metabolism test, this test reflects the recovery ability of the athlete's body, Zhang Yufei obviously surpassed other children.
For swimmers, superb physical recovery capacity means "endurance".
12-year-old Zhang Yufei shined in the Jiangsu Games, winning 2 golds, 3 silvers and 1 bronze.
With this excellent result, she was selected into the Jiangsu Provincial Sports School.
In the provincial sports school for less than half a year, Zhang Yufei received a notice from the Jiangsu Provincial Swimming Team without trial training because of his excellent performance, which also created the history of the Jiangsu Provincial Professional Team.
In 2011, Zhang Yufei participated in the 11th National Middle School Games held in Baotou. The 13-year-old Zhang Yufei won 3 gold and 1 silver in swimming alone.
2015 was a year of rapid improvement in Zhang Yufei's performance. She participated in the Kazan World Championships with the Chinese swimming team. That was the first time Zhang Yufei appeared in the World Swimming Championships.
The 17-year-old girl swam at 2:06.51 in the 200-meter butterfly final, finishing third, winning her first medal in the World Championships, and setting a world youth record for the event.
In 2016, the 18-year-old Zhang Yufei competed for the first time in the Olympic Games. He won sixth place in the women’s 200m butterfly final. Zhang Yufei later recalled, “I was sitting in the inspection room as motionless as if I was petrified. That was the first time I participated. At the Olympics, my brain was so nervous that I just wanted to finish the match quickly."
Both butterfly and free swimming gold medals can be won
The well-deserved queen of almighty
What's interesting is that Zhang Yufei won the national championship later than she became the youth world champion and the Asian champion, breaking the habit of general sports stars who usually go from provinces and cities to the whole country to Asia and then to the world.
What's more interesting is that Zhang Yufei's first national championship project came from her side event, and she won double gold.
It was the autumn of 2014. Zhang Yufei won her first national gold medal in the women's 200-meter freestyle final at the National Swimming Championships held in Huangshan, and the next day she won the first place in the women's 400-meter freestyle final.
Ordinary sports fans who don’t know Zhang Yufei were wondering when she won the gold medal in the women’s 4×200m freestyle relay with her teammates at the Tokyo Olympics. Isn’t this girl a butterfly swimmer, and why is the freestyle so good?
This is where Zhang Yufei's talent lies, she has already possessed the potential of the Almighty King.
In addition to the national record for women's 100m butterfly, Zhang Yufei is also the national record holder for women's 100m freestyle.
In the National Swimming Championships and Olympic Games on September 27 last year, Zhang Yufei swam with a good result of 52.90, breaking the national record set by Shanghai star Pang Jiaying in the era of fast swimsuit 11 years ago.
In this year’s championship and Olympic trials, Zhang Yufei not only continued to monopolize the gold medals in the women’s 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly, and easily reached the Olympic A standard, but also "played a ticket" in the women’s 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle preliminaries. In the semifinals, she won the first place with results that other players could not match, and all easily won the Tokyo Olympics' A-level competition standards, but then due to strategic reasons, she gave up the competition for the finals and did not compete with teammates for tickets to the Tokyo Olympics. .
Last year's Qingdao National Championships caused an uproar in the outside world because of the implementation of the new regulation that physical fitness tests should be linked to performance. Famous players such as Wang Jian Jiahe, Fu Yuanhui, and Yu Hexin all lost their qualifications for the finals because they failed in physical fitness tests.
And Zhang Yufei is the first place upright in both athletic performance and physical fitness test. He can definitely be called the Chinese swimming team and the all-around queen of Chinese swimming.
Change skills after changing coaches
Lost before the Tokyo Olympics
Just like many successful people have experienced, there has never been a vocabulary like smooth sailing on the road forward, and Zhang Yufei is the same.
After the 2017 Tianjin National Games, the coach of Zhang Yufei, who had brought out Jiao Liuyang and other famous players, was suspended due to violation of regulations. Zhang Yufei's training team suddenly became fragmented. The feeling of a group of dragons without a leader and helplessness. For the father’s girl, the blow is huge.
According to the requirements of the team, everyone had to choose their new coaches separately.
After careful consideration, Zhang Yufei chose the current coach in charge, Cui Dengrong from Shanghai.
Cui's most successful disciple was Lu Ying, who won the runner-up in the women's 100m butterfly final at the Rio Olympics.
Cui Dengrong is a coach who puts special emphasis on technical details. Zhang Yufei is notoriously an athlete with super ability, but has short skills. Everyone thought that the combination and complementarity of the two should be a perfect combination. Not so beautiful.
Since the end of 2017, following Cui Dengrong, Director Cui has set up a three-year plan for Zhang Yufei to win the Olympic championship: the first year to change the technology, the second year to practice ability, and the third year to work on the details.
Changing technology is a big move with great risks and little short-term results.
Due to long-term high-intensity training, Zhang Yufei’s scoliosis is obvious, the strength on both sides is uneven, and the timing of holding the water is also different. The butterfly stroke has major problems in the shape of the sailor, the water entry point, the water holding route, and the water exit route. Even Zhang Yufei’s start and turn , The details to the side are all flawed.
Cui Dengrong once jokingly described Zhang Yufei as a supercar equipped with a supercar, but the appearance is a pile of broken copper and iron.
In order to change his technique, Zhang Yufei had to forget his past muscle memories and tried to practice many boring and even painful movements.
In order to make the shoulder flexibility better and the water entry point farther, thereby increasing the effectiveness of holding water, Cui will arrange someone to press her shoulders every night.
Zhang Yufei didn't dare to have a temper in front of outsiders, but he had several fires with Director Cui in private, but every time he was dumbfounded by Director Cui.
Cui Dengrong is a stubborn temper, Zhang Yufei is also a stubborn temper, the two are stubborn together.
Sometimes faced with the coaches who had been instructed by thousands of reminders, Zhang Yufei had a temperamental disobedience, and often guided Cui to send her news and bombardment. When she felt wronged, she was so angry that she ignored her, and never responded.
However, quarreling between two people during training is like commonplace, but outside the training does not hinder the deeper and deeper trust between them.
Director Cui regards Zhang Yufei as his daughter, and Zhang Yufei also regards Director Cui as his father, entrusting him with the truest emotions and thoughts.
In the early days of improving technology, Zhang Yufei’s performance had fallen sharply. After winning the 200-meter butterfly in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, she did not even make the semi-finals at the Gwangju World Championships in 2019, which led her to this distance. There was a trace of fear.
This year, even when anyone can win against Zhang Yufei, Zhang Yufei encounters a point where anyone can lose, which has become a lingering nightmare in Zhang Yufei's heart.
Faced with the Tokyo Olympics, which lasted less than a year, Zhang Yufei was also deeply confused.
"I'm afraid" became Zhang Yufei's most frequently spoken word before he swam 200 butterflies.
In order to regain confidence
Haven't participated in the 200-meter butterfly race for more than a year
In April 2020, due to the epidemic, the Tokyo Olympics was postponed for one year. Cui Dengrong, who was puzzled by Zhang Yufei’s lack of improvement in performance, suddenly made a bold decision: this year, Zhang Yufei will not be allowed to participate in any 200-meter butterfly competitions. , Do not test any results of the 200-meter butterfly for a year, let Zhang Yufei focus on the 100-meter butterfly.
But in Cui Dengrong's view, no matter how well you practice the 100 butterfly stroke, you will not necessarily win the Olympics because several opponents are very strong, and you are progressing just like others.
But in the 200-meter butterfly, opponents are getting old, and Zhang Yufei's conditions are the best.
More importantly, this project is a glorious achievement made by generations of Chinese swimmers, and it will continue anyway.
The female 200 butterflies is Cui Dengrong's dream since he took over Zhang Yufei, and also Zhang Yufei's dream since his debut.
Under the influence of coach Cui's unique personality charm, more and more people are helping Zhang Yufei.
At most, three foreign teachers offered to give her extra training time to take her alone. Zhang Yufei's laughing personality is also very popular with these foreign friends, and her self-taught English also allows her to communicate with foreign teachers without barriers.
As a result, Zhang Yufei’s physical training on land was directly contracted by several foreign physical fitness coaches. After a few months, Zhang Yufei’s physical fitness had a significant qualitative change. She also developed the habit of competing with the male players in terms of physical fitness, plus training on the water system. With improvement, Zhang Yufei gradually regained some self-confidence. She began to think independently and actively communicate and feedback training.
With the success of the 100-butterfly training, the improvement of the 200-butterfly is a matter of course.
Constant pace training, constant polishing of details, on the first day of 2021, Zhang Yufei played again after 400 days away from the 200 butterfly arena. In the National Swimming Championship, he greatly improved his personal best by 2:05.49. Achievements, which are also the best results in the world in recent years.
In the National Championship and Olympic Games Qualification Tournament held in Qingdao in early October 2020, Zhang Yufei has already achieved a personal best of 55.62 seconds in the 100-meter butterfly stroke, and the world record of 55.48 seconds held by the Swedish star Scherstrom. The difference was only 0.14 seconds, and it broke the national record of the project that Liu Zige has maintained for 11 years.
In May of this year, the National Championship and the Tokyo Olympic Trials were held in Qingdao again. Zhang Yufei swam again easily for 56 seconds in the 100-meter butterfly, and his state was quite stable.
Both of the major butterfly events were able to compete in Tokyo without much effort.
At this time, Zhang Yufei and Cui Dengrong breathed a sigh of relief, and they felt confident in their hearts.
Cheerful personality
Once evaluated by the coach as "silly, white and sweet"
Zhang Yufei not only looks sweet, but also has a cheerful personality. He always has a smile on his face. He belongs to the kind of sunny girl who "sees flowers and everyone loves".
At the Rio Olympics, there was Fu Yuanhui's "power of the wild", and at the Tokyo Olympics there was the "power of China" of Zhang Yufei. Because Zhang Yufei blurted out when interviewing the camera, the "power of China" was later mentioned by many athletes.
After the finals of the women’s 4×200m freestyle relay, Zhang Yufei said to the camera, “We were thinking about competing for the medal before the game, but (winning) the gold medal is really a surprise for us. My main item is not freestyle. When I started to swim, I thought that people are all specialized in travel, I might not be able to swim against the opponent. But when I reached the last 50 meters, I don’t know where a force came from, maybe it was the power of China, and it gave me a huge one. Motivation, the first one to complete the handover." Looking at several partners younger than him, Zhang Yufei sighed, "I am the tail of the post-90s, look at them, they are all post-00s."
Many people comforted her when she regretted passing the gold medal in the women's 100m butterfly final.
Zhang Yufei said, "Why should I be regretful and sad? I have never won an Olympic medal. This time I won the silver medal. It is progress and breakthrough. I am very happy." Talking about the prospects for the next 200m butterfly race. Zhang Yufei replied with one word: "Swim." After winning the 200m butterfly final, when asked about his thoughts and wishes at the time, Zhang Yufei said, "I hope I won't be in the pool for half a year." But then she immediately went to herself. No, "It's impossible. I know I won't retire this year, and I won't retire next year."
Zhang Yufei also revealed, "Do you know? My coach (Cui Dengrong) is so insulted, he has to say 100 sentences to me every day, although they are all right, I can't listen to them all, as long as one sentence is heard. This is fine. I remembered one sentence on the day of the 200 butterfly competition. He told me that no one can swim past me. Whoever follows me will have to die. This is my stage, and I will break the record."
The most funny thing is that Zhang Yufei also disclosed what Cui Dengrong said when she was first accepted as a disciple. Cui first thought Zhang Yufei was a typical "silly white sweet".
Later, after coming back from foreign training, Zhang Yufei's skin was very tanned. She said to Cui Dengrong, "Coach, do you think I don't even account for the word'white' this time?'Stupid black and sweet'?"
Hang a gold medal for the coach
Embrace Japanese players with leukemia
The humorous and cheerful Zhang Yufei also contained a kind of domineering in his bones, otherwise he would not stand on the highest podium.
On the morning of the women’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay final and the women’s 200-meter butterfly final, Cui Dengrong told Zhang Yufei, “You go to warm up first, and I will tell you one thing later.” After landing, Cui Dengrong said to Zhang Yufei, “You will swim in a while. Relay, relax immediately after the 200 butterfly race." Zhang Yufei replied, "Oh, good." She said in a talk show later: "Let me go and I will go. Since everyone trusts me, I will not let everyone down. If the two games are separated by only 30 minutes, it may affect my physical strength. But after an hour or so, I think I can recover, there is no problem at all."
At the press conference after winning the 4×200m freestyle relay, Western media once again provoked the topic of doping. Zhang Yufei responded domineeringly: “From March 2020 until now, our doping testing has never stopped. Before the Olympics, there are more and more. According to online statistics, Chinese players should have the most urine tests in the world!"
In addition to domineering, Zhang Yufei's bones are more warm. After winning the 200m butterfly, she took off the gold medal by the pool and solemnly hung it on Cui Dengrong's neck. Thanks to the coach for years of training.
After the women's 4×100m medley relay competition ended, Zhang Yufei and Japanese team member Chijiang Rikako hugged and said in Chijiang Rikazi's ear, "See you next year, see you next year at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games."
At the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, Chijiang Lihuazi won 6 gold and 2 silver. She was called "the genius girl in the swimming pool". Zhang Yufei competed with her in the 100-meter butterfly stroke. At that time, Chi Jiang won the championship and Zhang Yufei won the runner-up.
Later, Chijiang Lihuazi was diagnosed with leukemia, and after working hard to recover from treatment, he returned to participate in the Olympic Games. Zhang Yufei and Chijiang Lihuazi were both rivals and friends.
At the end of the Olympic Games, the cheerful Zhang Yufei burst into tears when she mentioned her father. She said that she missed her father who was already in heaven very much: "I haven't had a chance to call my father for a long time, but I will often dream of him. I was in the Rio Olympics. I dreamed of him. I also dreamed of him before going to Tokyo this time. Before the 200m butterfly race, I still thought of my dad. I knew that I was definitely not alone in the race. My dad must be watching me in the sky and giving Let me go. I can tell him now,'Dad, I have stood on the stage of the Olympic Games. I am an Olympic champion. If I did it, my daughter will be your pride!'"
Text/Reporter Liu Ailin