Qi Hui backs in arena after downturn, optimistic towards Olympics

SHAOXING, East China, April 3 (Xinhua) -- China's top breaststroker Qi Hui said here on Thursday that she has recovered from a downturn last year and assured she would do better in the time period leading up to the Beijing Olympics.

In the women's 200 meters breaststroke final, Qi touched out national teammate Sun Ye, finishing in two minutes 25.68 seconds. The score could place Qi the sixth in this year's world ranking ofthe event.

Sun Ye trailed Qi and clocked 2:26.52, currently ranking the world's seventh in the event.

"The result was what I expected. It was not my best, but it's still very encouraging," Qi said.

Her personal best was 2:22.99, also the event's Asian record. The event is now dominated by Australia's Leisel Jones, who kept the world record at 2:20.54.

Speaking with a determined tone, the 23-year-old Chinese navy athlete said that considering the worst time she's been through last year, it's been a very difficult to get back.

"It took me one year to climb back from the bottom. I think I can do better in the coming days," Qi said.

"I hope I can swim in all the events -- 200 butterfly, 200 and 400 medley at the Olympics. Of course I will go all out in the races," she said.

Qi also swam in the final of the women's 400 meters individual medley here on Wednesday, finishing second in 4:39.64, after fledgling Li Xuanxu, from Hunan, who clocked 4:39.07.

As one of best swimmers on the Chinese national team, Qi Hui has undergone a tortuous road in her career. She was a multiple gold medallist in international competitions, including the 2002 Busan and 2006 Doha Asian Games. But she has never anchored any medals at either the 2000 Sydney or 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

At the Melbourne World Championships in March last year, she sank into the lowest point in her career and didn't even enter any semi-finals in any event -- a waterloo defeat she said was attributed to a failed training method.

At the Good Luck Beijing Swim Meet, the strong-willed swimmer declared a comeback, reaping two golds and three results under the Olympic qualifying A standards.

In the 200 breaststroke heat at the meet, Qi touched the wall first in 2:27.11, placing the eighth in last year's world ranking. Her coach Ye Jin said that her girl was "finally back."