The Chinese swimming team has by wresting 18 out of 34 golds made itself the biggest winner in chalking up the best record among 16 competing teams and over 400 competitors at the 4th leg of FINA Swimming World Cup 2000-2001 closed December 2 on a two-day schedule in Shanghai.

But no complacency seems to be found in the success made by the Chinese team for not many but only a few athletes to count and these few were not even in good form in the contest. The only exception has been Qi Hui as the only one setting a 200m breaststroke record on a time of 2:21.82 to place China still at a world medium level.

From the success achieved, however, a thing one finds pleased is that a young hopeful crop of swimming athletes have popped up in the Chinese swimming team, a nascent force to push ahead China's swimming sports in the future.

(People's Daily 12/04/2000)