US camp helped Su make great strides

Overseas training camps have helped boost the confidence of Chinese sprinters when they race against the world's elite.

Su Bingtian, a 100m specialist, said he used to be intimidated by the aggression of foreign runners at the starting blocks during international meets.

"It felt like I was defeated before the race had even started," the 25-year-old said at the IAAF world championships in Beijing.

Now he has the confidence to push those high-profile stars to their limits at any big event - just as he did at the Bird's Nest - thanks to an 80-day, eye-opening trip to the United States for training.

Su became the first Asian sprinter to qualify for the 100m final at the worlds after tying his national record of 9.99 seconds in the semis.

Enjoying funding from the Administrative Center of Athletics, Su and his coach, Yuan Guoqiang, traveled to Bradenton, Florida, at the end of 2014 to train at the IMG Academy, a privately-run training institute.

Taking advantage of the academy's high-performance program, Su tweaked his start technique while adjusting his pace during the middle of the race under the guidance of Loren Seagrave, the academy's track and field director.

High-tech equipment, such as Dartfish video analysis via a moving camera that shoots alongside runners, allowed Su to critically review each of his strides in a way never before possible.

"Through discussions with the American coach and my coach, we figured out what's the best (technique) for me and tried to adapt the changes to my routine day by day, and now it's working," Su said.

Yuan, who used to be China's national record holder in the 100m, also attributed Su's progress to those "tiny but crucial" details in training that he learned in the US.

"Not necessarily big changes, but small things such as switching his legs quicker," he said.

More importantly, regularly training and racing against elite American sprinters, including Tyson Gay and Mike Rogers, has helped Su mentally narrow the gap.

"When he got used to seeing those guys around, racing against them in trials and sometimes winning, it built up confidence, which made it easier for him to race without tension at marquee events," Yuan said.

"Now I feel no fear when I stand with them on the track," Su said. "Probably one day when we get strong enough, foreigners will be afraid of us like they used to do when facing brother Liu (Xiang) in the 110m hurdles."