LONDON -- China's world champion Jiao Liuyang pocketed the gold medal in women's 200m butterfly at London Olympics on Wednesday with a very fast final 50m, in which her teammate - defending Olympic champion Liu Zige - slipped from third to the last.
Jiao, runner-up to Liu at Beijing Olympics, was the quickest off starting block with a reaction time of 0.7 second. She maintained her strength in the first 50m, hanging on to let Liu to lead the field.
After a fifth position halfway, Jiao, second fastest qualifier into the final, put on a burst to seize the second place behind Spainish swimmer Mireia Belmonte Garcia before the last lap.
Jiao, champion of the 2011 Shanghai World Championships, produced a devastating last 50m sprint, flying over a startled Belmonte to touch the wall first in 2:04.06.
She renewed the Olympic record that Liu held from Beijing Games.
"It was my strategy to accelerate in the last 50m," said Jiao, whose teammate Ye Shiwen also impressed the world with a last 50m sprint.
"In the semifinal this morning, I swam too fast in the first half and it made me really tired for the second half," she said, adding she adjusted her plan for the final.
"It was not an easy win," she said with tears in eyes. "Four years is a long time. A lot of things can change. Just look at Michael Phelps, he only got one gold medal this time."
"It is probably because I did not win at Beijing Olympics four years ago which made me more consistent in training and kept me going," she said.
Belmonte, fourth at the 2010 and 2012 European championships, settled for the silver medal in 2:05.25. The bronze medal went to Japanese swimmer Natsumi Hoshi, fourth of the 2011 World Championships, in 2:05.48.
Belmonte, though were left for dead by Jiao at the last lap, said she was still happy with a silver, which made her Olympic dream come true.
Liu, 200m butterfly world record holder, was leading the field as in the first half of the race, but ran out of gas in the final 50m and slipped from the third position to the last.
"I feel badly disappointed. I didn't expect the result would be this bad," said Liu after the race.
"I lost probably because I didn't practise well," she added.
Also on Wednesday, Chinese swimmer Tang Yi breezed into 100m freestyle final with a fourth fastest time. The women's relay team, spearheaded by double Olympic champion Ye Shiwen, got a sixth place in women's 4X200m freestyle relay.
It is the fourth gold Chinese swimmers have retained at London Olympics, the best ever achievements Chinese swimmers have made at an Olympic Games. The other three gold medals were bagged by Sun Yang in 400m freestyle, and Ye Shiwen in her double individual medley.
Furthermore, China has captured two silver medals in men's 200m freestyle and women's 100m butterfly, as well as two bronze in men's 4x200 freestyle relay and women's 400 individual medley.
The bronze medal in relay has witnessed a great breakthrough for team China, as it is the first time they had been qualified for an Olympic relay race.
Sun, with another gold looming in his signature 1,500m freestyle event which falls on the last day of swimming events on Aug. 4, has become the first male Chinese swimmer to take an Olympic gold.
So far, five world records have been set in pool with Olympic swimming competitions halfway.
