Both he and Daniel Weiner, an associate professor who taught Ms. Lu, said she was an outstanding student.

WSJ: China Mourns Boston Marathon Victim

Just 24 hours before she was killed, Ms. Lu learned from Mr. Weiner that she had passed a key statistics exams she needed for her master's degree.

WSJ: Chinese Pour Out Grief for Student

Just 24 hours before she was killed, Ms. Lu learned from Mr. Weiner that she had passed one of the two key statistics exams she needed for her master's degree.

WSJ: China Mourns Boston Marathon Victim

She added that Ms. Lu's parents had to tell their own parents that their grandchild had died.

WSJ: Parents of China Victim Get U.S. Visas

When asked why she wasn't weeping, Lu Sui responded, ""Because the rest of the team is crying, and besides, if I cry, I will mess up my make-up.

CNN: 'Fab Five' brings home gymnastics gold

Ms. Zhang said Ms. Lu hit the books hard, sometimes turning down offers to chat because she had homework to finish.

WSJ: Parents of China Victim Get U.S. Visas

Earlier, Vollmer's dominance had been total as she finished nearly a second clear of China's Lu Ying with Alicia Coutts of Australia in third.

CNN: July 29, 2012 -- Updated 2305 GMT (0705 HKT)

Like many Chinese students in the U.S., Ms. Lu disliked writing essays and got flustered after being scolded by a professor for reasons she didn't understand.

WSJ: Chinese Pour Out Grief for Student