China's star swimmer Wang Shun is no stranger to newspaper or magazine covers. Wang, an Olympic champion, has already 1 three gold medals, a silver and a bronze in Hangzhou Asian Games. His story reveals how years of 2 and setbacks turned him into a world-beater.
3 his childhood, Wang has fond memories of the moment that sparked his 4 curiosity about swimming. "The first time I got into the pool was with my father. I followed him and I didn't know how to swim. I remember I swallowed a lot of water, and then I saw an adult 5 out of the water, so I just 6 his head and climbed onto his shoulder."
As he began to train 7 , though, Wang often struggled with the long hours in the pool, and would sometimes sit in the locker room to 8 training. Now, with Olympic gold in his trophy cabinet, he is 9 he didn't give up.
"I've been through many 10 times in my career. In 2019, for instance, my performances were not ideal and I was really 11 at the time about this. I even thought about 12 . But my coach stuck with me and kept helping me improve, mentally and physically," Wang said. "Then in June I sprained my ankle, which 13 me to stop training for two weeks. The 14 process was pretty tough. I was just thinking these setbacks won't stop me from trying to win Olympic gold."
At 27, age is now a new challenge for Wang. However, with Team China increasingly 15 scientific methods of training and support, he is confident he can remain competitive into his thirties.
