Great spirit

Wang embodies the irrepressible spirit that the Chinese swimming team has become renowned for down through the decades. From youngster He's perspective, that mentality means being brave and athletes always pushing their limits in the face of all challenges.

Team China's American coach James Malechek certainly feels that never-say-die attitude is instilled in the entire squad.

"I would say strong is the word to describe Team China's spirit. Because even if they may not have the best day, they're always going to be fighting and pushing. You have to have that kind of strength in order to continue to push forward and set the tone for not just the team right now, but for younger generations," Malechek told China Daily.

"I hope the swimmers remember where they started from and look at all the progress they've made, because they've all had ups and downs. They've all had good days and bad days, but understanding where you came from and all the hard work that you've put into this can help motivate you for the future.

"There's so much that they still can do. So I'm very excited to see what the future holds for the young generation of Chinese swimmers."

Malechek credits the nation with providing the swimmers with the best possible training facilities and conditions, and expects this attention to detail to yield more breakthroughs in the pool.

"China has honestly one of the nicest training venues in the world. The equipment is fantastic, as well as the availability that we have, from technology to recovery and nutrition," Malechek added.

"It helps us to train the athletes more efficiently. It helps us to really push the limits of what the athletes can do. We have this fantastic equipment, and now we're starting to utilize it. We can really utilize it in an even better manner and see the direct results of their training and competition."

shifutian@chinadaily.com.cn