Wu stands in way of Phelps' dream

Wu Peng, Chin's leading swimming hope in Beijing, could be the one who denies American Michael Phelps the chance to beat Mark Spitz's record gold medal haul.

The 21-year-old from Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, has become flag-bearer of the Chinese swimming squad and has an outside chance of a top medal in the 200m butterfly after taking silver at last year's world championships.

If he does take gold, it will be a real breakthrough for China sport, wresting swimming for at least a brief moment from the stranglehold of the Australians and Americans.

"There is less than a month ahead of the event and I will seize every minute to raise my form," Wu said between training sessions in China's southwest Yunnan province last month.

"I hope I will be among the ones who stand on the podium and I believe that my dream will come true soon," he was quoted as saying.

Wu got started in swimming at age 5, because his parents wanted him to lose weight, but once he had learnt they wanted him to quit the pool and take up basketball.

However, his first swimming coach recognized his precocious talent right away and was able to convince his parents he should continue with swimming.

It was the right choice and he was soon to start making a name for himself.

His hours of work in the pool paid off when at 14 he took two golds in the ninth Chinese National Games in 2001.

And then a year later he took the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea by storm when he took home three golds in the 200m butterfly, the 400m individual medley and the 200m backstroke.

It was then that China realized it might have a potential future Olympic champion in its midst.

At Athens in 2004 when he was just 17, he was the only Chinese swimmer to finish in the top eight of any event by coming fourth in the 200m butterfly final.

Although this was a considerable performance for someone still inexperienced at that level, there was a sense of disappointment that he had just missed out on a medal that many felt he deserved.

Wu, who is 1.8m tall and weighs 72kg, has concentrated on butterfly since the 10th Chinese National Games in 2005, where he returned excellent times.

His coaches felt that specialization would give him the best chance of taking a podium place at a major event.

They were proved right. At the 2006 Shanghai World Short Course Swimming Championships, Wu won the 200m butterfly.

His performance helped the Chinese men win their first medal in international men's swimming competition in 10 years.

Last year the move seemed to pay off when he came second to Phelps in the world championships in Melbourne.

The worry, however, was that he was two body lengths behind the Olympic champion and that such a gap might prove unbridgeable in the Water Cube.

Wu, who regards the American as his great hero, said after the race: "(Phelps) is simply way too fast, way too fast...I couldn't see him at all."

There is evidence that Wu has made up some of the ground this year. After swimming a personal best of 1:54.82 at China's national Olympic trials in March, Wu signaled that all his not lost in his battle to take the gold away from the American who is aiming to break Spitz's record of seven gold medals at one Games.

Come the event itself, many could be torn between seeing Phelps make it eight gold medals or the popular Wu recording a historic victory for China.

"There is still a gulf between me and Phelps, but I will do my best to bridge the gap," Wu said.

"I won't let the chance slip away."

Other than Wu, China's medal prospects are few and far between following their worst performance in 15 years at last year's Worlds, where they won just one silver (Wu) and one bronze medal (women's 4x100m medley relay).

Since its all time high point at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics when China won four golds, the squad has managed just two golds in the following three Games, one in 1996 and one in 2004.

Wu is the great hope for China at these Olympics and has a better chance than most of the competitors in the other events to deny Phelps ultimate glory.

Still only 21, he may still have another chance for a top medal at London in 2012 but he has already made it clear he does not plan to swim his whole life and would like to study abroad after Beijing, possibly in the US to gain an MBA degree.

For the moment, however, there would be no more fitting stage to take gold at the Water Cube in his own country.

It could prove China's greatest achievement of the Games.

Source: China Daily