Liu Zige

Liu Zige is a Chinese competitive swimmer, born on 31 March 1989, who specialised in the 200 metre butterfly. She won the Olympic gold medal in that event at the 2008 Games in Beijing, where she qualified fastest for the final with an Asian record and then beat the reigning world champion and world record holder, Australia's Jessicah Schipper, in a new world record of 2:04.18. In 2009 she took silver behind Schipper at the World Championships in Rome, then reclaimed the long course world record at the Chinese National Games in Jinan, a mark that stood until 2026. That November she also lowered the short course world record twice at the FINA World Cup. She finished eighth at the 2012 Olympics in London, won the 200 metre butterfly at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona, and later missed selection for the 2016 Olympic team at the Chinese National Championships.