Fu Yuanhui, other top tankers to compete in Beijing
The annual FINA Swimming World Cup begins on Friday in Beijing, with China's online sensation Fu Yuanhui leading a star-studded list.
She will be competing in the -women's 50-meter butterfly, 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter medley in the short-course tournament, but not in her favored backstroke event, which has -fueled speculation that she is shifting her specialization.
"I'm not going to change my specialization," Fu told reporters on Thursday. "Backstroke is my strongest of the four swimming styles. I just want to enjoy the other styles this time.
"I won titles here, but this time I don't think I can win as I haven't trained -lately. Short-course competition is totally different from the long-course because it requires more flip turns, which I'm not good at."
Fu, who won bronze at the 100--meter backstroke at the Rio Olympics, went -viral online not for her performance but for her animated interviews.
"I'd be happy if I can bring more people to care about swimming, though it also brings pressure," Fu said of her popularity. "Well, I'm not saying I'm afraid of underperforming, because -everyone gets inconsistent sometimes."
After her Olympic fame, Fu has been featured in several reality shows, including in a Bear Grylls-fronted adventure TV program.
"Challenging myself is exciting [in the adventure program]," Fu said. "I was having a vacation after the Olympics so I've been to several [non-sports] activities … This will end after I resume training."
Fu, winner of the 50-meter backstroke gold at last year's World Championships in Kazan, said she will start preparing in November for next year's Asian Championships.
"I hope I can make progress every time I compete, little by little," Fu said. "I want to be known as a professional swimmer rather than being an online sensation."
Hungarian Katinka Hosszu, a three-time Olympic gold medalist at the age of 27, is back in competition after a short post-Olympic break.
Wearing a red hat with her nickname "Iron Lady" on it, Hosszu said the Water Cube - the main venue for swimming competitions at the 2008 Olympics - is a place to recall what she had been through.
"I was here in 2008 as a 19-year-old, I came to a tough place at that time, and many people at the time told me I should quit, but I decided to fight on," said Hosszu. "As a three-time Olympic champion, it is good to look back and see how long my journey has been."
Russia's Yuliya Efimova, the silver medalist at the women's 100- and 200-meter breaststroke in Rio, will likewise be competing.
South African duo Cameron van der Burgh, men's 100-meter breaststroke gold medalist at the 2012 London Olympics, and Chad le Clos, silver medalist in the men's 200-meter freestyle in Rio and 200-meter butterfly in London, have likewise entered the event.
Chinese male swimming stars Sun Yang and Ning Zetao will skip the competition.
