Rising China to cement place among swimming elite

HONG KONG — China look set to confirm their new found status among the sport's elite at the world swimming championships in Shanghai, while Asian rivals Japan are desperate to show they are still a force.The hosts are on an upward curve, finishing third in the swimming medals table at the 2009 worlds -- with four golds -- behind the United States and Germany, a year after notching just a single win at the Beijing Olympics.Aside from Asia's two powerhouse nations, much will be expected from South Korean Olympic champion Park Tae-Hwan, who has a lot to prove after flopping in Rome in 2009 just a year after his Beijing 400m freestyle triumph.China underlined their regional dominance at November's 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, romping to 24 golds and leaving Japan, who took home just nine golds, wilting under the host's challenge.It was not just the success of the Chinese that caught the eye, but also the quality and depth of young talent on show.China's 1,500m Asian Games winner Sun Yang headlines their men's team in Shanghai while the women are led by 200m butterfly Olympic champion Liu Zige and 50m backstroke world champion Zhao Jing.The hosts, who have 52 swimmers in their squad, are approaching the championships with one eye firmly on next year's London Olympic Games."The Shanghai worlds is the biggest competition before the 2012 London Games, so it's a good chance to get the swimmers ready," said team coach Yao Zhengjie, according to the People's Daily Online."We will try to win three to four gold medals in Shanghai. Sun will be expected to win one or two, hopefully in the men's 800m and 1,500m freestyles," the China Daily quoted him as saying.Sun, 19, who missed out on Grant Hackett's 1,500m freestyle world record by less than a second in Guangzhou, said the 400m freestyle was the title he coveted most."I desire the 400m freestyle more than the 800m and 1,500m because my toughest opponent, Park Tae-Hwan, will be in that event," Sun said. Sun has the top times in the world this year in the 200m, 400m a

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