(Photo: Xinhua)

American great and former Olympic champion Michael Johnson showed up at the Nanjing Olympic Stadium yesterday to recruit more Chinese athletes to his camp next year.
Johnson, former Olympic champion in the 200 and 400 meters, said yesterday that he was having discussions with the Chinese Athletic Association to sign up more Chinese athletes for his camp in the United States.
"I was invited to hold clinics in Beijing last summer. Since then we have established a relationship with the CAA," said the five-time Olympic gold medalist. "Four Chinese athletes and two coaches took part in my program from the end of January to the middle of July."
Johnson claimed that the program was a success and said, "Now, I'm looking forward to bring a larger squad of Chinese athletes to train with us in the United States next year."
Johnson said that he was working with the CAA to determine who gets into the program and hopes they will get the chance to represent their country at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Johnson said he was hoping that about 10 to 12 athletes would make it to the camp at the Baylor University in Texas.
China sent its athletes to train with a foreign coach for the first time in the beginning of this year. The four youngsters who were chosen to train in the Ultimate Performance Training Camp were 100m specialist Zhou Jiamin, 200m sprinter Yang Yaozu and 400m runners Hu Chengjiang and Jiang Bo, who are competing at the ongoing games.