China

China sets 1st world record since bodysuit ban

By Liu Shanshan (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-12-17 16:41

Chinese swimmers (from left) Liu Jing, Zhu Qianwei, Tang Yi and Chen Qian celebrate after winning the women's 4x200m freestyle relay at the 10th FINA Short-course World Swimming Championships in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, Dec 16, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese swimmers stole the limelight again one month after the Guangzhou Asian Games.

Four young Chinese women broke swimming's world record drought Thursday at the short-course world championships in Dubai, by setting the first world record since high-tech bodysuits were banned early this year.

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Chinese women's 4x200m freestyle relay team, Liu Jing, Zhu Qianwei, Tang Yi and Chen Qian, won the final heat in 7 minutes, 35.94 seconds, smashing the previous record set by the Dutch team by nearly three seconds.

Setting new world records has never been much of an annoyance for swimmers since swimming's controlling body FINA was established in 1908. But this year, even the multiple Olympic medalist Michael Phelps found it hard after FINA outlawed swimmers from wearing high-technology bodysuits at the start of this year.

Chinese swimmers earned 24 gold medals out of 38 at the Guangzhou Asian Games last month.