Ryan Lochte may be speedy... but this 16-year-old Chinese girl is even quicker! Bizarre scenes as swimming prodigy smashes world record and even beats U.S. champ's time over last 50 metres



Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen smashed world record by a second and her own personal best by five

Last 50m was slightly faster than men's gold medallist Ryan Lochte

U.S. star hails teen's 'impressive' achievement and says she could beat him

But British presenter controversially suggests win could be down to doping







Ryan Lochte knocked Olympic icon Michael Phelps off his perch on Saturday with a brilliant performance to win the men's 400m individual medley.

But just minutes later, in the women's version of the event, a 16-year-old Chinese prodigy performed an even more amazing feat as she smashed the world record and left her competitors far behind.

Ye Shiwen posted such a good time that her final 50m was in fact faster than Lochte's performance in the men's event, at just 28.93 seconds.

Her achievement was so unprecedented that it even led some broadcasters to question whether Ye had benefited from underhand practices.



Record breaker: Ye Shiwen knocked five seconds off her personal best and broke the world record by more than a second as she stormed to gold in the 400m individual medley in the London Olympics Beaten: Ryan Lochte, pictured, was slower than Ye over the last 50 metres of his own medley race

BBC presenter Clare Balding asked former British Olympian Mark Foster, who was in the studio as a pundit: ‘How many questions will there be, Mark, about somebody who can suddenly swim so much faster than she has ever swum before?’

Chinese swimming has previously been tainted by drug scandals – another 16-year-old world champion tested positive for doping last month – but Foster sought to play down any suggestion of cheating.

He said: ‘It was a five-second best time and it was the way she did it as well. Bearing in mind she is 16 years of age, and when you are young you do some big best times… it can be done.’

Miss Balding’s question provoked a storm among BBC viewers on Twitter, with many praising her for daring to even hint at the possibility of cheating, but many criticising her for tainting the Chinese swimmer’s achievement and some even calling for her sacking.

@aliwillson was outraged at Miss Balding's query, and said:' Ye Shiwen sets world record and Clare Balding immediate intimates she doping. Who the hell does she think she is?! #BBC pls fire her ASAP '

Whereas ‏@ImroTseng felt that Balding not questioning other record breakers' success in years gone by was unfair.

But others applauded her for simply questioning how Miss Ye was able to record such an impressive time, and beat the world record by such a margin.

Sky's cricket pundit and presenter David Lloyd was among them. ‏@BumbleCricket simply said: 'Clare Balding a brilliant broadcaster'

Angered: Some users took to Twitter, with @aliwillson even calling for Miss Balding's sacking

Unfair: This user believes Miss Balding was wrong to broach the subject in Miss Ye's case

Defence: Others, including David Lloyd, hailed the broadcaster for her comments

Ye's total time was 4:28.43, a world record which was three seconds ahead of her closest rival and five seconds quicker than her own personal best.

While Lochte, 27, was 23 seconds faster than Ye overall, he took 29.10 seconds to complete the final 50m freestyle lap of the race, 0.17 seconds slower than the Chinese teenager.

The American star said he admired Ye's achievement, and even suggested that she might be able to beat him in a head-to-head race.

'We were all talking about it last night at dinner, it is pretty impressive,' Lochte said on Sunday . 'She's fast, if she was there with me, maybe she would have beaten me.'

Ye herself was humble in response to her record-breaking swim, and put it down to the quality of her coaching.

Medal winners: Ye Shiwen shows off the gold alongside the United States' Elizabeth Beisel, left, and compatriot Li Xuanxu following the final Proud: Ye attributes her success to the training she has received since being identified as a potential champion 'I think it is because I have had very good training recently, which is why I got this result,' she said. 'I am so excited, this is like something out of a dream. Before the final I didn't sleep so well, but it didn't effect my performance, I have trained hard.' The champion added: ' I am very young and I am sure I will just get better.' Last night the BBC defended Miss Balding’s comments, insisting: ‘The Chinese swimmer had just knocked five seconds off her personal best to break a world record; in her role as a presenter it is Clare’s job to ask the experts (in this case Mark Foster), how she managed to do it. There was absolutely no implication of doping.’ The success of China, which won more gold medals in the pool on the first day than it did in the whole of its own Olympics in Beijing four years ago – prompted further questions, with some fearing China’s sudden resurgence is a throwback to days of the 1994 Rome world championships, when its drug-powered women swept to 13 of the 16 available golds. Questions: Appearing alongside former British Olympian Mark Foster, BBC Commentator Clare Balding questioned whether Ye had benefited from underhand practices Publicity: Ye's achievement is sure to catapult her into the top rank of Chinese sports stars

In June Chinese state media said 16-year-old Li Zhesi, part of the country’s winning team at the 2009 World Championships, had tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug, EPO, which boosts the body’s oxygen supplies.

The Chinese, who point out that their athletes are regularly tested, have gone to great lengths to ensure there is no chance of any of their athletes failing dope tests in London and are said to have even imposed a ban on them eating the food prepared at the Olympic Village.

Miss Ye began her illustrious career when she was plucked from a primary school classroom.



Teachers in China are trained to look out for pupils with promising physical attributes and noticing the seven-year-old had unusually large hands and long legs, her teacher alerted the local government sports officials.

She left home to begin an intensive training regime at one of China’s 3,000-plus state-run and funded ‘medal factories’, designed to transform talented youths into ruthless sporting machines.

Congratulations: Ye Shiwen hugs Xuanxu Li after her victory at the Aquatics Centre at the Olympic Park

Sensation: Ye Shiwen managed to swim the final 50m length in the race in a time of 28.93, a time that was quicker than the men's champion Ryan Lochte Disappointed: Lochte shakes hand with Michael Phelps after they won silver in the 4x100m relay

Aged just 12, she was selected for the national team. She took her trainers by surprise at the World Championships in Shanghai last year, producing a devastating freestyle triumph in the 200m individual medley.

Her trajectory caught Communist Party propagandists by surprise, but they have since given her the kind of profile usually afforded to more established stars.