China's swimmers are hoping to make a splash at the upcoming
World Championships in Melbourne, and they know they'll have to
beat the world's best to win gold.
A record national delegation of 45 athletes will compete from
March 17 to April 1, but hopes are pinned on just a handful of
athletes.
"Wu Peng and Zhang Lin are the favorites to win a gold in the
men's team, while for the women, Qi Hui is the best bet," head
coach Zhang Yaodong told Titan Sports.
China's men's swimmers have never won a gold at a world
championships or Olympic Games, and if Wu is to end the jinx in the
200m butterfly he must beat World No 1 and record holder Michael
Phelps of the United States.
Wu edged Japanese rivals to claim gold at the Doha Asian Games
in December, and his time of 1:54.91 was the second fastest of last
year, behind only Phelps.
Phelps then turned up the pressure with a world record time of
1:53.71 seconds at the Missouri Grand Prix swimming meeting last
month.
"He (Phelps) is up there for other swimmers to catch. His best
time is almost one second faster than mine. At the world
championships, I will try my best to cut the deficit," said Wu,
whose recent training has been interrupted by a stomach injury.
Another name to watch is fast-improving distance freestyler
Zhang Lin.
The 19-year-old outshone American Olympic medalist Klete Keller
in the 400m freestyle at the Pan Pacific titles in Canada last
August, but suffered a setback when he was beaten in the 1500m
freestyle in Doha by South Korean Park Tae Hwan.
In the women's side, world and Olympic champion Luo Xuejuan's
retirement came as a major blow to squad short on world-class
talent, leaving hopes resting on Qi Hui.
Triple winner at the World Short-Course Championships in
Shanghai in April and in Doha, Qi will compete in 200m and 400m
individual medleys, as well as the 200m breaststroke.
Qi ranks third in the world in 200m breaststroke, but she must
beat record holder Liesel Jones, who will be given added motivation
by competing in front of her home crowd. The dominance of Jones has
led some experts to think Qi would be better off concentrating on
medley.?
The long-term absence of Yana Klochkova of Ukraine means the
medley crown is up for grabs. Japan's Maiko Fujino had the fastest
time in the world last year, 1.42 seconds ahead of Qi, but in the
Asiad Fujino settled for third place, a massive 4.39 seconds behind
Qi.
"My aim at the worlds is to get the best result," Qi told Titan
Sports.
The bulk of the women's team is made up of youngsters and their
primary focus is to gain experience, according to team
management.
The Chinese team won one silver medal and four bronzes at the
last World Championships in Montreal, Canada in 2005.
The Godmother
In the synchronized event, all eyes will be on China's
performance following the appointment of respected Japanese coach
Masayo Imura.
Her hiring at the end of last year was a huge event in the
sport, but with her contract expiring after the Worlds she must
deliver a good performance if she is to stay on until the Beijing
Games.
"Right now, I am fully concentrated on the Chinese team," Imura
told Titan Sports.
Imura, who also coaches synchronized swimming in Japan, arrived
in Beijing last Monday and will stay until the end of the
tournament.
The 56-year-old - dubbed "The Godmother" - has helped the
Japanese team to three gold, one silver and four bronze medals at
the Asian and Olympic Games.
"If she can lead the team to a good result, we will definitely
extend her contract until 2008," Yu Li, director of Water Polo and
Synchronized Swimming Department, was quoted as saying.
Imura said she still needs time to get her message across to the
swimmers.
"It is still a short time since I started training the team. I
have no idea how well the team will do at the Worlds.
"Our aim in Australia is to show how Chinese synchronized
swimmers are performing on the major world stage. We have to try to
impress the people in the field and set a solid base for the 2008
Beijing Olympics."
(China Daily March 13, 2007)