Promising teenage swimmer Li sets sight on Rio Olympics

Despite winning the men's 100-meter backstroke at the first Chinese Youth Games, Li Guangyuan seemed quite disappointed.

"My time was not as fast as I had expected," said the 18-year-old Zhejiang native, rising star of Chinese swimming after setting a personal best 200m back and an eighth finish at the Kazan worlds in August.

"I only entered three individual events here," said Li on Friday. "The 100m and 200m back and 100m freestyle."

Li didn't meet much challenge at the Youth Games, but he had requirement for himself.

"I must improve my start and turn, or I won't claim good results in major competitions," he said. "I hope I can take part in the Rio Games and get a top eight finish in the 200m backstroke."

Li started swimming in his kindergarten time.

"My coach said I had the gift of swimming, and asked me to swim everyday," said Li, whose idol is American Aaron Peirsol, the "backstroke king". "I hope I can break his world record one day."

Li hurt his right wrist during the training in Yunnan in 2012 and it left him a scar of six centimeters long. "I was put 15 stitches in the first time, and 12 in the second," he said.

Like most youngsters in his age, Li like watching TV series in his spare time, but he said he did not indulge in social network.

The ongoing Chinese Youth Games runs from Oct. 18 to 27 in China's Fujian Province. Endi