National team hopes blend of youth and experience can maximize medal haul at Fukuoka world championships

The Chinese swimming team is ready to make splash at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan later this month.

Among the stars spearheading China's challenge will be multiple Olympic and world champion Zhang Yufei, who will be bidding to add to her vast medal collection at the championships. Her bronze medals in the women's 50m, 100m and 200m butterfly events at last year's worlds in Budapest were part of a five-medal haul for Team China at the championships.

"My goal remains the same for these world championships, which is to achieve the best possible results. But I always tell myself to have the right mindset. I've enjoyed every single day of training ahead of the worlds, and I hope I can also enjoy every day of competition in Fukuoka," said Zhang, who won two gold and two silver medals at the Tokyo Olympics.

Zhang's form in recent months bodes well for her medal bid, with her long hours in the gym yielding mightily impressive results — she scored full marks in all tests as part of a physical exam conducted by the team last month.

"I was delighted because I never scored full marks in a physical test before. It's vindication for the hard work I've put in recently. I have been trying to level up my lower body strength," Zhang added.

"At the very beginning, it was very hard — my legs felt so heavy all the time. But eventually, I made it through. That's how I managed to get full scores."

Zhang's improved power and endurance could be critical at the worlds, where the 25-year-old has a busy schedule of butterfly, freestyle and relay events.

Reaching the highest podium at the championships is never easy, of course, and in Fukuoka Zhang will face stiff competition in teenage sensation Summer McIntosh.

The Canadian clocked an impressive 2:04.70 (the world record stands at 2:01.81) in the 200m butterfly in March, and the 16-year-old, who is also super competitive in freestyle, is considered Zhang's biggest rival for gold.

Veterans Impress

Another Team China star to watch will be veteran Wang Shun. The 29-year-old Tokyo Olympic gold medalist is also keenly aware of the huge challenge that awaits in Japan.

"Speaking of whether I can win gold at the world championships, I have asked myself that question many times. But if I overthink it, I won't be able to sleep at night. So all that I can do now is try my best every single day," said Wang, who won China's first Olympic men's individual medley title, in 200m at the Tokyo Games.

"I have noticed the progress of our foreign rivals, and I use this as motivation. Swimmers always want to make breakthroughs and, first and foremost, better themselves.

"It's not just about continuing to get better results in competitions. It's about surpassing yourself in each training session and pushing past your own mental barriers."

Wang, who will be making his seventh appearance at the world championships, looked in peak condition when he sped to 200m and 400 IM golds at a national meet in Hangzhou in May.

In Fukuoka, the veteran's biggest rival for glory will likely be young French ace Leon Marchand, who won both the 200m and 400m IM titles at last year's worlds, and has world records firmly in his sights this season.

Making the podium in Japan would be something of a fairytale result for Ye Shiwen. The veteran won two Olympic gold medals at London 2012 as a 16-year-old before walking away from the sport in 2014 to pursue her academic studies. In 2018, Ye returned to pool, and after years of hard work, her name has reappeared on Team China's roster.

At May's national meet in Hangzhou, Ye fended off her younger rivals to win 200m breaststroke gold, 11 years after she won the Olympic titles.

"I hope I can win a medal at the world championships. I feel all my teammates are in great form recently. The women's 200 IM and breaststroke events will be very competitive at the worlds. Competing against the world's best swimmers is a massive motivation for me," said Ye.

In addition to the veterans, China's next-gen will be hoping to announce themselves on the global stage.

Eighteen-year-old Pan Zhanle shaved 0.34 sec off the Asian 100m freestyle record in Hangzhou in May, and he is looking to continue on his upward curve in Fukuoka.

"I just hope to have better results at the world championships, and I hope I can once again refresh the Asian record and try my best to reach the podium," said Pan.

In the men's breaststroke, China's medal hopes rest on the young shoulders of Qin Haiyang and Sun Jiajun. Qin and Sun clocked Asian record times in the 100m breaststroke and 50m breaststroke respectively in Hangzhou.

"I have been focusing on details these days and trying my best to improve. On the one hand, based on my results in competitions and training over the past few months, I have gained a lot more confidence. I feel my mindset at these worlds is different. Of course my goal is to level up my best results at the worlds, and I hope I can win a gold," said Qin.

In the women's 400m freestyle, 21-year-old Li Bingjie will be hoping to get among the medals after equaling the Asian record in that discipline in Hangzhou.

"I have been in good from recently, improving both my speed and endurance. Now I'll get to see how close I am to the world's very best in my discipline," said Li.

"There are many great swimmers in the world, such as Katie Ledecky, that deserve my respect. They are my motivation and I want to be at their level in the future."

The Chinese squad will send a total of 41 swimmers — 22 women and 19 male, to compete in all 42 events at the worlds.

(Source: China Daily)