Minxia eyes record as China target sweep
in the blue riband 100m freestyle, one of five events he will contest.
Golden couple Emily Seebohm and boyfriend Mitch Larkin go to Rio as world champions in both the 100m and 200m backstroke.
The Europeans will get in on the act, with Britain’s breaststroke world champion Adam Peaty and 200m free world champion James Guy hoping to succeed for a country that has not had a male Olympic swimming gold medallist since Adrian Moorhouse in 1988.
Hungary, Italy, France — with reigning 50m freestyle world and Olympic champion Florent Manaudou — and the Netherlands all have potential medal winners too.
Africa will look to South Africans Cameron van der Burgh, the reigning champion and Peaty’s big rival in 100m breaststroke, and Chad Le Clos, who beat Phelps to 200m butterfly gold in 2012.
The scourge of doping, in a year darkened by scandals in Russia, also hangs over the pool with 2012 gold medallists Sun Yang of China and South Korea’s Park TaeHwan back in Rio after suspensions.
Pollution is also a major concern for the open water swimmers after dangerous
‘super bacteria’ were found off
Rio’s beaches.
will lead China’s diving team in their quest for a sweep of titles.
SHANGHAI: China’s Wu Minxia will make her bid to become the most decorated female Olympic diver at the Rio de Janeiro Games, fronting an attempt by her country to sweep all eight titles at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre.
The 30-year-old, who equalled her former diving partner’s Guo Jingjing’s record of four gold medals at the 2012 Olympics, will lead China’s 13member team who are expected to dominate after winning six out of eight gold at test events in February.
They also won six of the eight titles at the London Games.
Among China’s other headline gold medal hopes are Qiu Bo, who won silver in the men’s 10 metres platform event in 2012, and 15year-old Ren Qian, who scored a perfect 10 at the February test event in the women’s category.
China’s diving team leader, Zhou Jihong, has remained cautious over the country’s chances, saying that China “had no advantage in the men’s events” and warned that “dark horses” lurked in the women’s platform events.
“It is very hard. Our rivals are at high-level, very experienced and at the same time very young,” she was quoted by news agency as saying about the men’s events in May.
The major competition for the Chinese men are from the United States’ David Boudia who will defend his 10m platform gold at his
Kim Kuk-Hyang third Olympics, and Britain’s Tom Daley who took the bronze in London.
In the 3m event, Jamaica’s first Olympic male diver Yona KnightWisdom has been tipped as a contender after he clinched his spot by winning a surprise silver medal during the February test event.
Minxia, however, will not be defending her individual 3m springboard gold and will instead compete in the synchronised event with teammate Shi Tingmao.
North Korea will be also pinning their medal hopes on teenager Kim Kuk-Hyang in the women’s 10m event after she won her country’s first gold at last year’s world championships.
While China dominated the test event, the venue has been the subject of some concern over its outdoor nature which could see weather changes test divers’ performances, especially during Brazil’s winter.
It also suffered temporary power cuts during recent competitions.
US swim sensation keen to add to his record haul of 18 Olympic titles