> China’s Olympic hopefuls to swim at SFU
China’s Olympic hopefuls to swim at SFU
Contact:
Scott McLean, 778.782.4057, 604.505.5519 (cell); srmclean@sfu.ca
Scott McLean, 778.782.4057, 604.505.5519 (cell); srmclean@sfu.ca
October 30, 2007
A preview of some of China’s 2008 Olympic hopefuls will highlight the 2007 SFU Clan Cup International Nov. 3-4 at the Margaret and Paul Savage Pool on the Burnaby campus.
Teams from across Canada and the U.S. will participate, but the major draw is expected to be the Shanxi Swimming Team, featuring many Olympic hopefuls from the Shanxi province in China.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for our program and the North American teams to compete in a top-flight event at SFU,” says SFU head coach Liam Donnelly. “Add the fact that this team from Shanxi features so many outstanding swimmers, and we are poised for a highly competitive weekend.”
The Shanxi team includes Xue Ruipeng, the Chinese Senior National Team Champion in the 200m breaststroke and Li Dingjie, a bronze medalist in the 100m butterfly at the Chinese Senior National Team Championships.
The women’s side features Zhao Jin, the bronze medalist in the 200m breaststroke at the Chinese Senior National Team Championships. Shanxi also features three more swimmers who are fast approaching the A Standard for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
“International meets are special because they foster camaraderie among athletes,” says Donnelly.
“Sport really is the international language, all high performance athletes understand the preparation required to compete at this level. This meet really adds a spark to our schedule, because it will push [SFU’s] swimmers to bring their training to another level.”
Other teams competing at the meet include the University of Alberta, the University of Victoria, the University of Manitoba and Seattle University. A number of club teams will also be in action at the two-day competition.
The Shanxi team arrives on Wednesday morning and will have two training sessions on Thursday and Friday before the competition. Preliminary heats on Saturday begin at 9:30am, while Saturday’s finals begin at 5:45 p.m. A lighter schedule on Sunday begins at 9:30am, with finals beginning at 3:07 p.m.
Teams from across Canada and the U.S. will participate, but the major draw is expected to be the Shanxi Swimming Team, featuring many Olympic hopefuls from the Shanxi province in China.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for our program and the North American teams to compete in a top-flight event at SFU,” says SFU head coach Liam Donnelly. “Add the fact that this team from Shanxi features so many outstanding swimmers, and we are poised for a highly competitive weekend.”
The Shanxi team includes Xue Ruipeng, the Chinese Senior National Team Champion in the 200m breaststroke and Li Dingjie, a bronze medalist in the 100m butterfly at the Chinese Senior National Team Championships.
The women’s side features Zhao Jin, the bronze medalist in the 200m breaststroke at the Chinese Senior National Team Championships. Shanxi also features three more swimmers who are fast approaching the A Standard for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
“International meets are special because they foster camaraderie among athletes,” says Donnelly.
“Sport really is the international language, all high performance athletes understand the preparation required to compete at this level. This meet really adds a spark to our schedule, because it will push [SFU’s] swimmers to bring their training to another level.”
Other teams competing at the meet include the University of Alberta, the University of Victoria, the University of Manitoba and Seattle University. A number of club teams will also be in action at the two-day competition.
The Shanxi team arrives on Wednesday morning and will have two training sessions on Thursday and Friday before the competition. Preliminary heats on Saturday begin at 9:30am, while Saturday’s finals begin at 5:45 p.m. A lighter schedule on Sunday begins at 9:30am, with finals beginning at 3:07 p.m.