Tracking China: Ye Shiwen Sets More Records

Swimming star and controversy catalyst Ye Shiwen broke another record in the race to the wall during the 300m individual medley. An Olympic official has stated she’s cleared the drug tests. To catch you up on the latest, here's video, Weibo comments and news reports about the "Mandarin Mermaid."

The IOC announced yesterday that Ye Shiwen passed drug tests after her victory in the 400m individual medley on Saturday. So how about removing those quotations around "incredible," CNN?

The cheating suggestions have mainly been coming from the US media, while the rest of the world and other competing swimmers have all stood up for Ye’s wins and pointed out that the naysayers are all extremely out of line. Ye should have been celebrating after her 200m win, but instead was placed in a position of having to defend herself. At a news conference, Ye asked “In other countries, other swimmers have won multiple golds and nobody has said anything. How come people criticize me just because I have won multiple golds?”

The latest defense of Ye's abilities has come from a British swimming coach who works with the Chinese team. He offered his insight into the nature of the Chinese sports system:

Chinese athletes train incredibly hard, harder than I can explain in words and as a coach who has placed swimmers on five different Olympic Games teams, I have never seen athletes train like this anywhere in the world.

They have an unrelenting appetite for hard work, can (and will) endure more pain for longer than their western counterparts, will guarantee to turn up for practice every single time and give their all. They are very proud of their country, they are proud to represent China and have a very team focused mentality.

Let's also not forget that this is their only avenue for income; most do not study and sport offers them a way out or a way up from where they and their families currently live in society. If their swimming fails, they fail and the family loses face.

This is not an attitude shared by athletes in the west, who – generally speaking – come from comfortable homes with average incomes, one or two cars per family and four weeks or more paid holidays per year. Your average Chinese family does not live this way.

What’s being said on Weibo:

• "During the 200m ceremony, her name was pronounced like 'Yeah, she wins.' That’s right! She won!"
• "Why can one American win 8 gold medals and the world can cheer for him while Ye won two and has to be interviewed and interrogated? Just because she’s Chinese?"
• "From the start, she said she didn’t take drugs, the testing results prove it, yet you guys still don’t believe it! Why do the interview if there’s no end to your jealousy. Remember, everything is possible!"
• "All those foreigners who doubt her abilities, are you not ashamed? And for those Chinese who said she’s robot, don’t you feel ashamed? What were you doing at 16? What did you know at 16? At least she earned her country some pride!"
• "She won and foreign media isn’t happy – we lost badminton, and they are not happy. Why? It’s all about ability – you win when you can, you lose when you deserve to lose. Don’t be like the host, still without a gold today."
• "After she won, the first thing she did was to hug the Australian player. She and Sun Yang are both back from Australia, maybe I need to go there to change my DNA as well!"
• "Doesn’t she look like Sun Yang a little bit? Maybe they are long-lost brother and sister."
• "Sun and Ye should get together!"
• "The government may consider giving Sun Yang and Ye the possibility of having more children! Whether they want to be together is up to them."

Ye Shiwen's 400m and 200m swims:

Photo: London2012.com