By sportswriters Li Li, Xia Liang
JAKARTA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Fu Yuanhui, who made her name of "Supernatural Girl" at the Rio Olympics, has yet to win a gold in the 18th Asian Games which had its fourth-day competitions on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old Chinese was unable to defend her title at the 50m backstroke in Jakarta and was 0.07 seconds off a stadium finish in the 100m backstroke, in which she tied for third place with Canadian Kylie Masse at the Olympic Games in 2016.
"I'm not in the shape but I tried my best," Fu said after teammate Liu Xiang's world-record performance of 26.98 seconds beat her to second in the 50m backstroke on Tuesday.
"I'm not surprised by the result. Congratulations to Liu Xiang. The gold belongs to China anyway," she added.
Fu clocked only 1:00.35, far behind her own national record of 58.76 set in Rio, to finish fourth in the 100m backstroke on Wednesday.
Having finished her individual disciplines, Fu has to look to relays for a gold chance.
Two years ago in Rio, cheerful interviews and goofy demeanor made the 2015 world champion a swimming icon nationwide. Her series of facial expressions spread widely in the internet, and her saying "I've already spent my supernatural energy" earned her the nickname of "Supernatural girl".
However, a haunting shoulder injury cost her "supernatural energy" and she barely earned a berth in the national team for the 100m backstroke in Jakarta.
The outspoken girl even said that she was considering retirement after her lackluster performance in the national championships in April.
Coming to Jakarta, Fu has seemingly bounced back from the depression and fully devoted herself to the competition.
"One step at a time. Come on! LOL," Fu said on her Weibo social media account after winning the 50m silver on Tuesday.
Still recovering from the shoulder injury, the 100m backstroke specialist has first to reach the Olympic qualifying time of 1:00.25 before making it to Tokyo in 2020.
