The 36-year-old, Wu Peng never expected to feel the nerves before he made his return to the pool after a 10-year hiatus from competition at the second-tier Chinese national spring swimming championships here.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Wu clocked a time of 23.81 seconds in 50m freestyle to secure a spot in the top-level National Championships in May, reports Xinhua.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"My last national competition was in 2013. I felt nervous before the race, and I could not sleep well last night. I felt rusty during the 50 meters, so I could not help taking several breaths. In fact, I should hold one breath during the whole race," Wu said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I tried to reduce my weight by about 6 or 7 kilograms but it was clearly not enough. I should swim more swiftly on the surface instead of diving under the water," said the man who ended Michael Phelps' nine-year undefeated streak in the 200m butterfly in USA national meets in 2011.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"My result in 50m freestyle was not as good as I expected, but fortunately, the time was good enough to qualify for the national championships. I have two more months to work on my physical training and endurance."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Wu will also compete in the 50m and 100m butterfly later during the week but will not defend his previous favorite event, the 200m butterfly, despite winning a silver and three bronze medals in World Championships between 2005 and 2013.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"The national record of 200m was still under my belt, but I will not try (to break) it anymore. I can only compete in the sprint events like 50m."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"My goal is to try to earn a ticket to the Asian Games to be held in my hometown Hangzhou in September. For the last 10 years, I was on the pool deck in the audience, but this time, I want to jump into the pool and compete again for my hometown," said Wu, who won three gold medals in the 2002 Busan Asian Games when he was 15.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"The national record of 200m was still under my belt, but I will not try (to break) it anymore. I can only compete in the sprint events like 50m."<\/p>\r\n\r\n