Chinese Top Women Swimmers to Compete in Asian Championships

World record holders Chen Yan and Wu Yanyan will lead the Chinese team to contest the Asian swimming championships, which is to be held on March 28 to April 2 in Pusan, South Korea.

It will be the penultimate qualifying chance for the Chinese swimmers who want to enter the Sydney Olympic Games, and the final line-up will be made after the national trial in mid-May. "We hope that more swimmers can reach the Olympic standard through the Asian championships," said Chinese head coach Zhao Ge. Chen Yan, world women's 400 meter individual medley titlist in 1998, will compete in 200 and 400 freestyle and 400 medley, while Wu Yanyan, who holds the 200m medley world record, will swim in 200 and 400 medley.

Vetern sprinter Shan Ying, successor to Olympic champion Le Jingyi in freestyle, will make her debut in the international event since she won three titles at Military Games last Augest. Also on the roster are Jiang Chengji, men's 50m freestyle champion and Fu Yong, backstroke gold medalist in Bangkok Asian Games in 1998.

Among the 20-member squad, all the nine men's swimmers need to qualify for the Olympic standard while only three women swimmers have the same demand.

Though China named a second-string diving team to Pusan, they still hope for a golden-sweep. Their elite divers are preparing for the national selection in April.

The water polo team faces a tough fight against the Asian powerhouses Kazakhstan and Uzebekstan in this meet. Only the champion in each qualifying zone and top four in the Olympic trial in Hanover, Germany during May 6-14, can win the berths to the Olympic Games.

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