China News Service, Beijing, April 9 (Reporter Xing Rui) The "Moving China" 2023 Personality of the Year was announced on the evening of the 8th. Swimming star Zhang Yufei won the honor of "Moving China 2023 Personality of the Year".

　　The award speech given to her read: "I would rather burn my muscles in the middle of the night than let my emotions sink in failure. Nezha is to be reborn; Queen Butterfly must be the Queen of Butterfly. Explore the limits of sports and harvest the gold medal of youth , A champion is a winner, but also a person who rises from adversity.”

　　For Zhang Yufei, the past 2023 has been a year of harvest and breakthrough. In many international competitions, Zhang Yufei won gold and silver medals, showing the world the strength and level of Chinese swimming.

　　At the Fukuoka World Championships in July last year, Zhang Yufei competed in 6 events and won 2 golds, 1 silver and 2 bronze. In order to compete with her teammates for the men's and women's 4X100-meter mixed relay championship, Zhang Yufei gave up her main event, the 200-meter butterfly, and eventually won this historic mixed relay gold medal for the Chinese swimming team.

  Data map: Zhang Yufei shows off her medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Photo by China News Service reporter Tang Yanjun

　　"Some competitions are for the country, carrying the responsibility of the country on our shoulders. There is only one word, do it!" Zhang Yufei said at the awards ceremony.

　　Immediately following the Chengdu Universiade, Zhang Yufei won all 9 events she participated in, becoming the swimmer with the most gold medals at the Games.

　　At the Hangzhou Asian Games, Zhang Yufei continued to maintain excellent competitive status despite being ill, winning 6 gold medals and breaking competition records in individual events many times. Not only that, she was also awarded the Most Valuable Athlete (MVP) of the Hangzhou Asian Games together with her teammate Qin Haiyang.

　　In the subsequent World Cup races, Zhang Yufei won successively in Berlin, Athens and Budapest, ranking third in the World Cup annual standings with 6 gold medals and 3 silver medals.

  Data map: Chengdu Universiade, Zhang Yufei "shows her heart" to the audience. Photo by China News Service reporter Anyuan

　　Zhang Yufei, who was born in 1998, has been involved in swimming since she was 3 years old. In 2016, her first time participating in the Olympics, she only finished 6th. Entering the Tokyo Olympics cycle, Zhang Yufei began to change her techniques with the help of her coach.

　　Unexpectedly, during this process, Zhang Yufei discovered her own flaw - scoliosis. "My spine is S-shaped and cannot bear too much weight. This will cause me injuries and back pain."

　　Such a blow is almost devastating to Zhang Yufei. At the 2019 World Championships, Zhang Yufei suffered a disastrous defeat and did not even reach the semifinals of the 200-meter butterfly. During the low period, Zhang Yufei kept encouraging herself: "As long as you can't kill me, I will be stronger tomorrow."

  Data map: Zhang Yufei at the Fukuoka World Championships. Photo by China News Service reporter Tang Yanjun

　　By training harder, Zhang Yufei ushered in a "butterfly change" at the Tokyo Olympics. She handed over her results with 2 gold medals and 2 silver medals, and became the world's best

　　While becoming a new generation of "Butterfly Queen" in world swimming, her career also began to take off.

　　In a previous interview, Zhang Yufei gave her performance in 2023 a score of 95. "The remaining five points are because I think I can do better, so I will take the experience and lessons I learned into next year."

　　Talking about future goals, Zhang Yufei said frankly that the Paris Olympics is the "highlight" of the Year of the Dragon. She hopes to continue her 2023 state into the Paris Olympics, and also hopes to surpass her achievements in the Tokyo Olympics.

　　"I want to be the butterfly queen of the world." Zhang Yufei said firmly. (over)