Ye Qingsong says swimmer's win was result of hard work, while anti-doping chief says singling out Chinese competitors is unfair

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

The father of the Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen has hit back at the "biased" reaction to her record-breaking performance at the London Olympics after an American swimming coach branded her gold medal performance "suspicious".

China's anti-doping chief has also spoken out to defend the 16 year old, who smashed the world record as she won the women's 400m individual medley on Saturday night.

"I think it is not proper to single Chinese swimmers out once they produce good results. Some people are just biased," Jiang Zhixue, who leads anti-doping work at China's General Administration of Sport, told the state news agency Xinhua.

"We never questioned Michael Phelps when he bagged eight gold medals in Beijing."

Ye's father, Ye Qingsong, told the Chinese news portal Tencent the swimming team had gone through an especially rigorous anti-doping regime and attributed her victory to a combination of hard work and guidance from Chinese coaches.

"A lot of different people had to provide all kinds of help for this result to be possible," he said.

Although the swimmer's father accepted that it was "normal for people to be suspicious", he added: "The western media has always been arrogant, and suspicious of Chinese people."

Chinese internet users also reacted angrily to doubts about the swimmer's stunning performance, accusing sceptics of jealousy or bitterness because their own countries are not performing as well.

The controversy was sparked when a highly respected American coach described the prodigy's extraordinary triumph in the 400m individual medley as "unbelievable", "suspicious" and "disturbing" in an interview with the Guardian.

John Leonard, executive director of the World Swimming Coaches Association, said her performance brought back "a lot of awful memories" of the Irish swimmer Michelle Smith, who won the same race at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 but was banned two years later for tampering with a urine sample.

Concern has focused on Ye's dramatic improvement in ability over the past year and on her acceleration in the last 100m of the 400m medley, in particular her final length – quicker than that of Ryan Lochte, who won the men's individual medley in the second-fastest time in history.

But others have argued that young athletes can make remarkable breakthroughs and have pointed to the way the Chinese system picks individuals for their physique and drills them rigorously.

Lord Moynihan, the British Olympic Association chairman, said it was unwise for rival coaches at the Games to question the legitimacy of performances by other athletes.

"We know how on top of the game Wada (World Anti-Doping Agency) are and Wada have passed her as clean. That's the end of the story. And it is regrettable there is so much speculation out there. I don't like it. I think it is wrong... Let us recognise that there is an extraordinary swimmer out there who deserves the recognition of her talent in these Games."

London 2012 chairman Lord Coe said it would "very unfair to judge an athlete by a sudden breakthrough".

He told ITV News: "What you tend to forget is probably the 10 years of work that's already gone in to get to that point.

"You need to look back through her career. I think you've got to be very careful when you make judgments like that but yes it is an extraordinary breakthrough."

Jiang said China's swimming team had made breakthroughs due to scientific training and sheer hard work.

He added: "The Chinese athletes, including the swimmers, have undergone nearly 100 drug tests since they arrived here.

"Many were also tested by the international federations and the British anti-doping agency. I can tell you that so far there was not a single positive case."

The deputy anti-doping chief Zhao Jian said Leonard "thinks too much" and urged people to wait for test results.

He added: "It seems in the sports world people always suspect good scores. You cannot assume a runner is not a normal person just because he runs faster. Those assumptions are not fair to any athlete."

Seven Chinese swimmers tested positive for steroid use at the Asian Games in 1994. Four years later, four competitors were sent home after a routine customs check found a Chinese swimmer was carrying large amounts of banned growth hormones as she arrived at Perth for the World Championships.

But Zhao said China had launched a major crackdown on doping, changing its laws, tests and training.

"In 1990, when China started the doping test, we did 65 tests. Right now, we do 15,000 tests each year. As far as I know, America and Australia carry out 7,000 to 8,000 a year," he said.

"All Chinese athletes get anti-doping education and training, take an oath and take an exam. Our system is serious and severe."

Zhang Xinming, a reporter at Sports Illustrated who has followed Ye's career, acknowledged that the 1990s scandals had given people a bad impression of Chinese swimmers, but added: "I don't think it is the case this time, because the freestyle is Ye's strongest feature. I know her; Ye has the ability to win. Besides, the tests for Olympic Games athletes are very strict. It is not possible she was doped."

After doubts were first raised, Ye herself said: "The Chinese team keep very firmly to the anti-doping policies, so there is absolutely no problem."

Last month, Xinhua announced that another Chinese female swimmer, Li Zhesi, would not take part in the Olympics because she had tested positive for a blood-boosting drug in March.

In 2009 five junior Chinese swimmers were banned after testing positive for the anabolic agent Clenbuterol at the 2008 national junior championships.

China has blamed ambitious or ignorant individuals and coaches for problems. But last week, two former Chinese Olympic doctors described routine use of doping in the 1980s and into the early 1990s in interviews with the Sydney Morning Herald.

One of them, Xue Yinxian, told the Guardian: "Using dope was regarded as part of 'scientific training'… Until the year I retired, 1998, they were still widely using dope on athletes."

She claimed that one of the officials involved had even told a conference in Beijing in 1990 that "he should take half of the glory for Chinese swimming team's victory".

Xue said she had been banned from travelling abroad to visit or research after voicing her opposition in 1988. "My salary, my position and even my son's job were all influenced because of my objection to doping," she added.

International sports experts, as well as Chinese officials, say China has become much tougher in clamping down on doping in recent years.

• Additional research by Cecily Huang