Chinese swimmers show confidence, maturity at Shanghai World Cup

With Tang Qianting winning the women's 50-meter breaststroke final with a new Asian record, Chinese swimmers pocketed a total of six gold medals, 11 silvers and seven bronzes during the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup, which dropped curtain in Shanghai on Sunday evening.

Held in a short-course format, the three-day event gathered 200 international swimmers at Pudong's Oriental Sports Center, including 19 Olympic champions.

For most of the participants, it was their first major international competition after the Paris Olympics.

While some swimmers signed up for their main events to test their recovery, many opted for secondary events to reduce the pressure that comes with participating. For the audiences, it was already satisfying to see the Chinese national team swimmers competing at home.

The Paris Games had already further boosted the Chinese swimming team's popularity. What was gratifying about their performance in Shanghai was that in addition to the high competitive level, the swimmers also showed a confident and relaxed mental outlook.

In addition to good results, they also seem to be pursuing a broader life and a better attitude toward it.

Xu Jiayu has taken part in three Olympic Games and won two backstroke silver medals. After finishing third in the men's 50m backstroke on Saturday, Xu said it was a fair result.

"A gold medal is always the highest pursuit for an athlete," he explained. "My coach and I will make plans for the new season according to my body condition."