Olympic Champion Zhang Yufei Injured Elbow Midway Through Short Course Worlds

2022 FINA SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, December 13 to Sunday, December 18, 2022
• Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre, Melbourne, Australia
• SCM (25m)
• Prize Money
• Meet Site
• Meet Schedule
• How To Watch
• Meet Roster Index
• Psych Sheets (Updated)
• Live Results

Chinese Olympic champion Zhang Yufei revealed on social media that she injured her elbow during the 2022 Short Course World Championships, resulting in her absence from competition in the back half of the meet.

Zhang raced six times in Melbourne, including winning bronze and tying the Asian Record in the women’s 50 fly (24.71), but then dropped out of the 50 free and 100 fly, two events in which she was a medal contender.

The 24-year-old posted the following on social media (via translation), according to “Chinese Swimming News and Results” on Twitter:

Hi everyone, I’m the 2022 bronze girl. I want to apologize for my withdrawal in the latter part of the meet as I injured my elbow by accident. Now I feel a little better after treatment, so don’t worry too much about me. Let’s keep flying next year.

Zhang Yufei Weibo Update:
Hi everyone, I’m the 2022 bronze girl.
I want to apologize for my withdrawl in the latter part of the meet as I injured my elbow by accident.
Now I feel a little better after treatment, so don’t worry too much about me.
Let’s keep flying next year. pic.twitter.com/GSVUWh0c76

— Chinese Swimming News and Results (@CHNswim_fan) December 18, 2022

In addition to the 50 fly bronze, Zhang also anchored the Chinese women’s 400 free relay to sixth place with a 51.91 split, recorded a 24.54 fly leg on the fifth-place finishing 200 medley relay, and led off the 200 free relay with a new Chinese Record of 23.76 in the 50 free. That relay lead-off was her last swim of the meet.

Zhang was the 2021 SC world champion in the women’s 200 fly, but opted not to enter that race in Melbourne.

In the 100 fly, she scratched out of the semi-finals at last year’s SC Worlds despite being among the pre-race favorites, and was absent once again in the final this year that saw Maggie MacNeil break the world record (54.05) and Torri Huske (54.75) and Louise Hansson (54.87) also go under 55 seconds.

Zhang’s lead-off time from the 200 free relay would’ve tied for seventh individually in the 50 free, though it would’ve only been eight one-hundredths shy of a medal.

Zhang’s injury came after a number of Chinese swimmers scratched out of the meet after contracting COVID-19, most notably Li Bingjie, who was the big favorite in the women’s 400, 800 and 1500 freestyle events.

Zhang won four medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, including a pair of golds in the women’s 200 fly and 800 free relay.