World and Olympic champion Zhang Yufei powers down her lane en route to finishing first in her women's 50m butterfly semifinal at the FISU World University Games in Chengdu on Tuesday. ZHANG WEI/CHINA DAILY

World champion Zhang Yufei defies lack of sleep to tear it up in the Chengdu pool

Having arrived in Chengdu from Japan at 3 am on Tuesday, Olympic champion Zhang Yufei had only managed to squeeze in four hours' sleep. Remarkably, fatigue could not prevent her from achieving extraordinary feats later that day.

Roared on by an exuberant crowd at Dong'an Lake Sports Park Aquatics Center, Zhang not only shattered the FISU World University Games record in the women's 50m butterfly but also played a pivotal role in leading China to victory in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay.

Not a bad way to make your debut at the games.

"We came here straight from the world championships, without any rest, because we were committed to taking part in the University Games," said Zhang, who won the 50m butterfly final on Wednesday in a new FISU record of 25.20 seconds.

"Usually, we compete as professional athletes, but this time, we are all university athletes, and what's more, we are competing in Chengdu. Being here has filled us with immense joy and excitement," said Zhang, a Southeast University student.

"I have never had such a tight schedule," the 25-year-old said. "I'm a little tired, but still very happy. This is a completely new journey. I'll compete and try to get some rest in between races."

Zhang arrived at the pool at 9:30 am and immediately found her rhythm, dominating the women's 50m butterfly heats to top the time sheet. Her exceptional performance continued in the evening's semifinals, where she once again left her rivals trailing.

Shortly after Erin Paige Gallagher of South Africa broke the women's 50m butterfly FISU record in the semifinals, Zhang surpassed it by a huge 0.43 seconds.

In her semifinal, Zhang was just under a quarter-of-a-second away from her personal best of 25.05, which she clocked five days previously to break the Asian record en route to a silver medal at the Fukuoka worlds.