Luo Xuejuan feeds off challenges in her quest for gold on the winners' podium.

Her latest conquest was three gold medals at the just-concluded Barcelona World Swimming Championships, upgrading her double-gold performance in the last championships, two years ago in Fukuoka, Japan.

The outstanding performance of the 19-year-old breaststroke sensation was astounding - she not only saved the Chinese team, whose other gold hopefuls didn't come through, but also won herself a place alongside some of the world's most talented swimming sensations, joining the triple-winners' club of the tournament. The list includes Alexander Popov, Michael Phelps, Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett, Aaron Peirsol...

But Luo appeared to be so confident and relaxed after reaching her new height - making faces, smiling everywhere and putting on make-up before attending the medal awarding ceremony - that others might forget how she persevered to get there.

"This is the most exciting and difficult victory in my life, and I have never felt so good," Luo said after the women's 100m breaststroke final in which she scored an opening win for herself and the Chinese team.

The win later became the force driving her in China's 400m medley relay win and her own convincing triumph in the 50m breaststroke. Her performances have taught her that her unswerving determination is an extra weapon in defeating her adversaries.

Her gutsy style has been powerful enough to keep her going, although she had been unable to find her best form after last year's Busan Asian Games where she won two gold medals, before taking the Barcelona plunge.

At the national championships, she even lost to her teammates Qi Hui, the 200m breaststroke world record holder and new star Luo Nan in the 100m, the event she used to dominate at home.

As if that was not enough, there are plenty of rising international rivals who jump at every possible chance to topple Luo's reign in the breaststroke events - Australian Sydney Olympic silver medalist Leisel Jones, swimming next to her in lane 4, sank the former world mark held by South Africa's Penelope Heyns with an incredible time of 1 minute 6.37 seconds and left the second-place Luo over a meter behind in the 100m semi-finals.

The stadium resounded with deafening cheers for Jones' new time. The Australian buried her face in her hands in disbelief and then waved to the crowd, as Luo had expected to do. The outspoken swimmer had said on many occasions that she was determined to win two golds plus set two world records in Barcelona, but at that point she could only shake her head slightly and leave the pool quietly.

Luo had fallen out of favour and almost everyone started to drape the gold on Jones before the final race.

But Luo decided to let her swimming do the talking.

"I suddenly learned that my rivals are stronger than I expected and I told myself I would have to fight to the very end," Luo said. "I always believed I could beat Jones although she had set the new world record.

"In fact, her time meant little to me because I knew I could do something better than that."

Maybe that's why she surged to a quick lead in the first half of the final with an astonishing speed which could rewrite the current 50m world mark, and kept the lead until she touched the wall. Jones was well behind, settling for a bronze behind Luo and American veteran Amanda Beard.

Luo looked back to the time board - the time was 1:06.80, her personal best - and then bobbed up and down in the water to celebrate the decisive victory.

Back in the mixed zone, her coach Zhang Yadong gave out a loud yell while witnessing Luo's winning moment.

"There is no one we fear," claimed the coach who hugged Luo tightly in the mixed zone where they were surrounded by swarms of press.

"You have to trust Luo because she is the kind of athlete who gives her best under heavy pressure. And her best is always saved for the final show," he said.

The win was so sweet that the normally restrained Luo could not hold back her tears in front of the TV cameras. But the emotional moment was temporary and she soon calmed down.

"You must always believe in yourself," was her opening comment.

"I came here for the title and the world record but Jones did put pressure on me with her semi-final performance.

"Today's race was like a severe test of my self-belief and I am happy I came through.

"I would like to save my tears for the Olympic Games and I hope I will have a really good cry after an Olympic victory."

After overcoming the first and biggest obstacle, the remaining road at Barcelona turned out to be rather easy for Luo, who gave full display to her formidable talents.

She and her inspired team-mates Zhan Shu, Zhou Yafei and Yang Yu upset the United States, who qualified for the final with the fastest time, for a gold in the 400m medley relay. Her swim, second of the four, was awesome - pulling China from fourth place into first place before her team-mates held onto it to the end to finish first. Her leg, under 1 minute 6 seconds, would have been a new world record if she had done it as an individual event.

Her next win in the 50m was much more convincing - she led the pool from the heats to the final and nobody could pose a serious challenge.

And after all of that, Luo could legitimately enjoy the sweetness of victory - she sang loudly on the podium with a hand pressing proudly on the chest, making her somewhat depressed look after the 100m semi-finals pale in others' memories.

The only thing which bothers her is she could not break the two world marks in her two individual events.

"I can do it," said Luo in her trademark outspokenness. "I believe the records will be under my name in the near future."

However, you can bet that Luo, with her extraordinary desire to win, will remember what she learned in Barcelona.

And she is aware that there are much bigger difficulties ahead in the race for gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

"The road to Olympic gold is definitely much more bumpy than the road to Barcelona," she said.

"But with today's win, I believe I can keep myself up there and remain confident whatever happens."

(China Daily August 4, 2003)