2021 FINA SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Thursday, December 16th – Tuesday, December 21st
- Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- SCM (25m)
- Prize Money
- Meet Site
- Psych Sheet
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- Omega Live Results
Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei fired off a new national record in the women’s 50m butterfly while competing in the semi-finals of the event here on day 3 of the 2021 FINA Short Course World Championships.
After logging a morning swim of 25.20 to already come with .06 of the then-Chinese standard of 25.14, 23-year-old Zhang managed to shave off even more time to score a lifetime best of 24.97 in tonight’s session. That overtakes the aforementioned record that Lu Ying put on the books way back in 2012.
Entering this meet, Zhang’s career-quickest rested at the 25.31 she notched 3 years ago in Beijing. Now she has become the first-ever Chinese woman to break the 25-second threshold in the short course version of this 50 butterfly.
The Asian record still stands at the 24.71 Japan’s Rikako Ikee established in January of 2018; however, Zhang is now just the 2nd woman from the continent to have dipped under 25 seconds.
Abu Dhabi Women’s 50 Fly Semi-Finals Top 8:
- Ranomi Kromowidjojo (NED) – 24.61
- Sarah Sjostrom (SWE) – 24.94
- Zhang Yufei (CHN) – 24.97
- Maaike de Waard (NED) – 25.19
- Arina Surkova (RSF) / Claire Curzan (USA) / Torri Huske (USA) – 25.20
- (tie)
- (tie)
- Silvia di Pietro (ITA) – 25.25
Although Zhang owns the long course 100m free and 100m fly Chinese national records in times of 52.90 and 55.62, respectively, this is her first individual short course national standard.
