Zhang Yufei Completes Women’s 200 Fly Sweep With 2:05.65 World Cup Record

2023 WORLD AQUATICS SWIMMING WORLD CUP – BUDAPEST

• Friday, October 20th – Sunday, October 22nd
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Despite her complicated relationship with the event, Zhang Yufei has been a dominant force in the women’s 200 butterfly throughout the 2023 World Cup, putting a bow on things with Budapest by completing the sweep and setting a new series record to boot.

Zhang steamrolled the field in a time of 2:05.65, shattering the World Cup Record of 2:06.33 that had been on the books for eight years, with American Cammile Adams having logged that time at the Moscow leg of the series in 2015.

Zhang, who went 2:07.11 to win in Berlin and was 2:06.73 last week in Athens, was faster on three of the four 50s compared to what she went seven days prior, with the biggest difference-maker coming on the third length.

Split Comparison – Zhang

Also one of the world’s best in the 50 and 100 fly, the difference in Zhang’s strategy relative to Adams’ is apparent when we look at their splits, with Adams being strictly a 200 fly specialist and known for her ability on the back half.

Split Comparison – Zhang vs Adams

The Tokyo Olympic gold medalist in the event, Zhang had some choice words for the 200 fly after her victory at the opening leg in Berlin.

“I must say that this is a really horrible event. It makes me very tired. We raced a lot at the Asian Games just recently and my body is very tired, ” she said, noting that she would push through Athens and Budapest before getting a well-deserved rest.

Now through the final two stops, Zhang’s trio of victories gives her the Triple Crown $10,000 bonus from World Aquatics. She had that on her mind prior to tonight’s final.

“I was nervous because I had won the two previous races and now I had to prepare myself to do the same tonight,” she said.

She crushed the field by more than two and a half seconds, with Bosnian Lana Pudar (2:08.19) the only other swimmer to break 2:10.

The 25-year-old will have her eyes on a second Triple Crown later in the meet in the 100 fly, having set a new World Cup Record of 56.06 last week in Athens.