Splash brothers making waves

Childhood friends Yan Zibei and Sun Jiajun spurring each other on to greater heights on international stage

Chinese swimming stars Sun Jiajun and Yan Zibei are rivals in the pool, but brothers on the land. Both from Hubei province, the pair have trained together since childhood, and now find themselves chasing their dreams in tandem on the national team.

The breaststroke specialists have medals in their sights at the forthcoming Hangzhou Asian Games and next year's Paris Olympics.

"I just hope to win gold medals at this year's Asian Games, and, in terms of the Paris Olympics, my goal is to reach the podium," Sun told China Daily online show On Your Marks before leaving for World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, where the swimming events begin on July 23.

Yan is equally single-minded about the task at hand. "I have only five words: Go all out to win," said Yan, a silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics.

At 28, Yan is considered a veteran in the pool. He has served Team China admirably through the years, breaking several Asian breaststroke records. With age no longer on his side, Yan's ability to stick around at elite level for so long is something of a rarity in the sport.

During a national meet in Hangzhou in May, Yan fended off younger rivals to win a silver and a bronze medal, helping him once again make Team China's roster for the world championships.

If Yan is a model of consistency, the 22-year-old Sun is an athlete on the rise, refreshing the Asian 50m breaststroke record with a time of 26.61 sec at May's Hangzhou meet.

"When we finished the men's 50m breaststroke final in Hangzhou, I just saw a line on the results board that was glinting. I took off my goggles and saw Sun Jiajun had broken the Asian record," recalled Yan.

"At the time I was thrilled. I felt like I refreshed the record myself. We have been swimming together for a long time, so I'm always happy when he wins something."

Sun says the friend he refers to as "captain Yan" has spurred him on through the years.

"I actually initially didn't realize that I broke the record at the nationals. All I did was charge forward as fast as possible. Captain Yan is always faster than me, and our national teammate Qin Haiyang is also very fast," said Sun, who was also called up to the national team for this month's worlds in Fukuoka.

"We are rivals in the pool, but on the land we are very good friends. I respect captain Yan a lot. I have been training with him since I was a little boy. He's been helping me in training and he also helps me take care of my life."