Beijing win 4X100 frestyle relay gold

2009-10-19 17:55 BJT

--Now to men's 4x100 m freestyle relay...the U-S-A holds the world record at time of 3 minutes, 08.24 seconds, while China holds the Asian record with 3 minutes 16.16.

--It's a team competition with Beijing, Zhejiang and Guangdong as the main contenders...and some star swimmers in each group.  Zhejiang and Beijing opened up a quick advantage in the first section...

-- But Guangdong caught up in the second section and made it a three-way race... Beijing took a slight lead going into the third phase...

-- That's when Beijing team's star Zhang Lin entered the pool...he's the new Chinese swimming hero after his great performance at the World Championship in Rome...but Guangdong's team took the lead during his stint...and led going into the final section.

-- In the last phase, Asian world record holder Chen Zuo showed his strength for Beijing...he overtook the Guangdong swimmer and made a surprising sprint to touch the wall first. The Beijing team wins the gold medal...the winning time is 3 minutes 15.5, a new Asian Record...Guangdong was second and Zhejiang third.

-- Now the replay. This competition was probably the most exciting one in the Jin'an Olympic Center Aquarium, also known as Jin'an's "water cube". The swimmers' efforts made for a great finish and gave the audience a show. Beijing swimmers, Shi Tengfei, Wang Chao, Zhang Lin and Chen Zuo took the honors for the men's 4 x 100 freestyle...working together to catch the gold. It is the first team event for Zhang Lin in this year's National Games.

--  Zhang Lin took the gold in the men's 800 meter freestyle at the Rome World Championships...he won silver in the 400 freestyle at Beijing in the Olympic Games and has become known as China's most successful male swimmer.  Alongside his teammates in front of a cheering crowd, Zhang Lin now has a gold medal from the National Games.