Oly: Hackett's ex-coach drives Zhang to medal glory

AAP General News (Australia)
08-10-2008
Oly: Hackett's ex-coach drives Zhang to medal glory

By Martin Parry

BEIJING, Aug 10 AFP - China's rising swim star Zhang Lin, who stormed to the Olympic
400m freestyle silver medal today, owes a huge debt to Grant Hackett's former coach Denis
Cotterell.

The Australian, who steered Hackett to two Olympic gold medals, was invited by China
to help their swimmers ahead of the Beijing Games and his experience paid off handsomely.

Not only did Zhang come second to South Korean sensation Park Hae-Twan but he beat
Hackett into the bargain, with the legendary Australian touching in sixth.

"He (Cotterell) is very experienced. We've formed the team in less than six months
and we've beaten the top swimmers in the world. I couldn't have imagined it," said an
elated Zhang.

The 20-year-old is the first Chinese swimmer allowed to train outside of China and
his breakthrough here is no real surprise after the times he set in a three-month training
stint in Australia this year.

Before Sunday's race, Cotterell was full of praise for his young charge.

"This guy is improving and I'm just hoping I do a good enough job to not have a billion
Chinese gets their hopes up and have them dashed," he told reporters.

The idea of sending Zhang to train with Cotterell was first raised four years ago when
China's head coach Zhang Yadong met with the Australian at the Athens Olympics.

At last year's world championships in Melbourne they met again and Zhang Yadong asked
if Zhang Lin could go Down Under to train, which he first did at the end of last year.

Cotterell said he had no other plans to coach Chinese swimmers, but stressed that if
China were interested then they would have to go to Australia because he did not have
time to base himself in China.

"That's up to them, but I will work with them for sure (if they ask)," he said.

"They are good people and they have the potential to get better.

"But I have my own squad at home, I cannot move. My club in Australia is important to me."

Since its prime at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, when China won four golds, the squad
has had to fight the stigma of doping scandals and has managed just two golds in the following
three Games -- one in 1996 and one in 2004.

Other than Zhang, they have few other clear-cut medal contenders.

Their best hopes lie with Wu Peng in the men's 200m butterfly and Zhou Yafei in the
women's 100m butterfly.

Fourteen-year-old schoolgirl Li Xuanxu, who finished last in the 400m individual medley
final Sunday, is considered a good prospect for future Games.

AFP nh

KEYWORD: OLY08 SWM ZHANG

2008 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.