|
HUANGSHAN, China, Oct. 20-- A bunch of medals from big events didn't mean Wang Shun had a smooth past year. On the contrary, the top-class medley swimmer called it a specially tough year, but he managed to go through it. Wang, 23, showed up here Friday morning, finishing 17th in the men's 100m breaststroke heats at the Chinese National Swimming Championships. "I only resumed training four days ago and also gained some weight during the vacation," said Wang who took the tournament more like a warmup session after having a rest of one month. In September, Wang proved he is still the best medley swimmer of China by keeping two individual titles at the National Games. He also showed his power on international stage by taking a bronze medal from the 200m individual medley at the FINA World Championships last July. Even so, Wang felt the past year was tough and full of challenges. "I suffered therapeutic pneumothorax two weeks ahead of the World Championships trials in April," explained Wang. "The doctor suggested a two-week rest for me but I went back to the pool only after three days." "On one hand, I worried about my fitness," recalled Wang. "On the other hand, I didn't want to feel regret for both the World Championships and the National Games because I have been training so hard for such a long time." Although Wang was not perfectly fit for the World Championships trials, he managed to clinch the men's 200m individual medley title with a national record of one minute and 56.16 seconds. | 
