'Slow coach' Gao Chang needs pressure to swim faster
(China Daily)
Updated: 2005-07-30 07:26

MONTREAL: With a faltering final stroke, Chinese teenager Gao Chang was forced to surrender the world title in the women's 50m backstroke to Australian Giann Rooney. However, the 18-year-old "slow coach" could gain some positives from the experience.

In Montreal, Gao Chang had entered the 50m backstroke semi-final with the fastest qualifying time, and she proceeded to cause a stir by clinching top place in the semi with a time of 28.31 seconds, 0.17 under the previous championship record.

"Why did it happen?" The shy girl from Shandong scratched her head and said, "I don't really know why I broke the meeting record. Maybe because of the cloudy skies. Besides, everyone says that I need to be under pressure to perform well."

So where did the pressure come from? Gao finished 16th in the 100m backstroke semi-final. "It was a blow for me," she said. She believed that this may have been why she was so successful in the 50m semi-final.

Gao has actually smashed the Asian record in the one-lap backstroke event several times, and grabbed a silver medal in the event at the short-course World Championships last year.

Gao is hungry for success in major competitions like the World Championships and the Olympic Games. However, her unhurried approach to life is proving an obstacle in training.

"I'm always slower than the other swimmers at the start," Gao once said. "Although I have improved a lot, my start is still not fast enough."Gao's start on Thursday was not bad. Her reaction time ranked fourth among the eight finalists and from then on she kept ahead. However, a mistake in the last stroke ruined her performance.

"I'm used to touching the wall with my right hand, so I just added a stroke at the last moment. If I had touched the wall with my left hand, the result might be different," Gao said.

22-year-old Rooney is more experienced. "I could see the arms of the Chinese girl who swam beside me. I knew I had to get a good touch on the wall, and I did."

With a silver medal hanging on her neck, Gao said she was half happy and half regretful. "I need to improve my skills at starting, turning, and also my final touch.

However, it was the first time that she has taken part in the long-course World Championships. Under pressure, Gao proved her potential in the pool with a meeting record. In the future, the 1.78-metre "slow coach" could swim even faster.

(China Daily 07/30/2005 page12)

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