(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-10-25 11:13

WUHAN - Wu Peng, China's No. 1 male swimmer, said on Wednesday that a new Asian record in the men's 200 meters butterfly next March will boost his confidence in becoming the country's first man to win a swimming medal in the Beijing Olympic Games.

Wu Peng talks to a journalist after winning the men's 200m butterfly in the Chinese City Games October 24, 2007. [Xinhua]

The 20-year-old Wu, who clinc

hed his first title in the Chinese City Games, achieved his career best in the world championships last March by winning a silver in the 200m butterfly event behind American Wunderkind Michael Phelps. His feat surprised his Japanese rivals because the men's events have always been dominated by the Japanese.

Wu's challenger No. 1 in Asia is Japanese veteran Takashi Yamamoto, who took the silver in the Athens Olympic Games with a new Asian record of one minute 54.56 seconds. Wu finished sixth in Athens in 1:56.28.

"I hope that I can break the Asian record in the national championships next March," Wu said. "It was the last Olympic qualifier and the most important warm-up event for the Olympics."

Wu's personal result in the 200m butterfly is 1:54.91, which was achieved in last year's Doha Asia Games.

While Wu won the 200m butterfly gold, Yamamoto proved stronger in the 100m race in Doha.

The men's 200m butterfly world record is 1:52.09 set by Phelps in this year's world championships, when Wu took the silver.

Wu stormed to victory in the Chinese City Games in 1:57.32. "I am quite relaxed," Wu said. "It is a national competition. I can win the gold as long as I keep normal exertion."

All the swimming finals in the Beijing Olympic Games are scheduled to take place in morning, but Wu said that will not affect his performance.

"I have been adapted to the time and there's no problem," he said. "Everyone is under the same conditions."

Wu will compete in three individual events and three relays in the ten-day Chinese City Games, which is the last multi-sport Games before the Olympics.

"It's my fifth meet within three months," he said. "I'm wiped out, but I'm trying to hold on," he said.

He will then take four weeks off and begin the winter training. "The winter training is the most important thing for me," he said.

Actually, it is also important for Chinese swimming.

Chinese men never won a gold from either the Olympic Games or the world championships. The country got only one gold through Luo Xuejuan in the women's 50m breaststroke at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

With Luo plagued with injuries after the Athens Olympics, China failed to win any gold from the 2005 and 2007 world championships.

Luo was forced to retire earlier this year. Now, Wu is almost the country's only medal hopeful next summer, men and women.