Nation's top swimmers rise to the occasion at world championships

Led by world and Olympic champion SunYang and rising star Ning Zetao, China's swimming team told the world that it will play more than a supporting role for the long-dominant diving squad.

After the fifth day at the FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia, on Thursday, China is second in the swimming medal tally, with four golds, one silver and five bronze-only one gold short of front-runner the United States.

Thursday's biggest surprise came from 22-year-old Ning, who finished with a historic 100 meter freestyle gold. He trailed Canadian Santo Condorelli at the 50 meter mark but made a strong sprint in the final meters to finish in 47.84 seconds, winning China's first world championships gold in the event. Ning is also the first Asian to win the event at the worlds.