30 July,2009 09:54 AM IST | | AFP
Zhang Lin made the first World Championships swimming gold for a Chinese man one to remember on Wednesday, demolishing Aussie great Grant Hackett's world record in winning the 800m freestyle.
Zhang sliced six-and-a-half seconds off the previous world record of 7:38.65, set by Hackett at the 2005 World Championships in Montreal. That was the first time the event was swum by men in world competition.
"I'm more than five seconds quicker than Hackett's record and I'm still surprised," Zhang said. "I can't believe it."
Zhang seized the lead from Tunisia's Olympic 1500m free champion Oussama Mellouli at the 200m mark and never gave it back.
Less than three-tenths of a second separated them with 100m to go, but despite the blazing pace Zhang had enough on the final lap to pull away for a convincing victory.
Mellouli, the defending 800m free world champion, was also under Hackett's previous world record, but his 7:35.27 was good enough only for silver.
Canadian Ryan Cochrane was third in 7:41.92.
Zhang captured 400m freestyle Olympic silver behind South Korean Park Tae-Hwan in Beijing, crediting Hackett's former coach Denis Cotterell with helping him make his breakthrough.
Zhang went to Australia to work with Cotterell late in 2007, the first Chinese swimmer allowed to train outside the country.
As in Beijing, Zhang teared up at the medals ceremony, but he said the emotions flowing through him were different this time around.
"At the Olympics I cried tears of sadness because I lost the gold medal but this time they were tears of joy because this is the first World Championship gold medal for a Chinese man," he said.
After that painful 400m free defeat in Beijing, Zhang said, he put a picture of Park in his room and looked at it every day for motivation. Now he might expand his gallery.
"Maybe I'll put another one of Hackett in my room because he's my idol," Zhang said.
Zhang admitted he was nervous before the race. Park's sensational failure to reach the 400m free final had put Asian hopes on Zhang's shoulders. He finished third in a race that became instantly famous for German Paul Biedermann's world record-setting triumph over Michael Phelps.
"Before the final I told my coach that I don't know how to swim, I felt a lot of pressure," he said. "I wasn't expecting to win this, now I hope I can win the 1500m."
