China's Wu looks to reach level of Phelps
3/12/2006 12:17
Chinese teenager Wu Peng said Michael Phelps is not his idol but sets an
example for him although there is still a gap between them.
The 19-year-old
was crowned for the second time in the men's 200m butterfly at the Asian Games
yesterday in the only event he competed in in Doha.
The world bronze medalist
came from behind to win in one minute 54.91 seconds, his personal best time,
beating East Asian Games winner Takeshi Matsuda (1:55.49) and Ryuichi Shibata
(1:56.44) to the second and third places.
He improved his personal best with
0.8 seconds but the result is still a far cry from American wunderkind,
multi-Olympic and world champion Phelps, who set a new world record 1:53.80 in
August.
"Michael Phelps is not my idol," Wu said. "But he will always be a
goal for me to chase and I am doing that now."
To become a Phelps, Wu knew he
first has to shine in the Beijing Olympic Games and the Asian Games is one of
the important occasions for him to try out, especially with strong rivals from
Japan present at the Games.
"Last time in Busan, I got three gold medals
which was beyond my wildest imagination. This time, I made thorough preparation
and promised myself to win," he said.
Wu beat Japanese Takashi Yamamoto to
win the 200m fly in Busan Asian Games in South Korea before the latter captured
a silver in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games where Wu only finished sixth.
He
also bagged titles in 200m backstroke and 400m individual medley in
Busan.
"But more importantly, I hope to win in the Beijing Olympics," he
said.
World runner-up Matsuda said his opponent was stronger than he had
thought.
"Chinese swimmers are stronger than I expected. It looks that China
in full sail in their preparation for the Olympics," he said.
Xinhua
|
