China's Ye Shiwen shatters another record amid waves of suspicion - New York Daily News

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China’s Ye Shiwen shows off 200 IM gold, but celebration is marred by those who suspect record-breaking time is enhanced by doping. 

LONDON â€" Ye Shiwen, China’s 16-year-old lightning rod, emerged from the Aquatic Centre’s darkened doorway, walked across the white-tile pool deck and slipped out of her warmups Tuesday evening. She lifted her water bottle and turned it over her head. Water spilled down her arms and she rubbed some across her black bathing suit.

She looked into the crowd, recognized a collection of red flags emblazoned with China’s yellow symbols, and smiled.

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Shiwen dove in and ripped through the water to win the 200-meter individual medley by half a body length â€" .58 seconds â€" over Australia’s Alicia Coutts, but questions persisted outside the pool as she continued to be dogged by allegations that her two gold medals in the Games were not on the level.

When asked directly whether she has used performance-enhancing drugs during her training, she shook her head.

“Absolutely not,” she said, explaining through an interpreter that she has trained for nine years, putting in as many as five hours per day in the pool.

Was she unsettled by the allegations?

“I was unaffected,” she said.

Shiwen, upset that other swimmers who won gold medals and set records were not pursued as fervently as she was, asked why they were not challenged. She agreed with Chinese officials that there was a bias against her country’s participants.

“How come people would just criticize me?” she said.

The Olympic Park had awoken to waves created by Shiwen’s performances. Shiwen emerged as a controversial topic when she won the 400 IM the first night in 4 minutes, 28.43 seconds, a world record. She swam the last 50 meters faster than American Ryan Lochte did in the men’s race. She followed that up by setting the Olympic record in the 200 IM in 2 minutes, 08.39 seconds.

The records raised eyebrows. John Leonard, an American and the executive director of the World Swimming Coaches Association, said her performance was “suspicious.”

“If there is something unusual going on in terms of genetic manipulation or something else, I would suspect over eight years science will move fast enough to catch it,” Leonard said. “I have every faith that eventually if there is something there to be caught it will be caught. Right now all we can say is Olympic champion, world record holder, and watch out for history.”

The sharp criticism created unease. International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said Shiwen passed a drug test after the 400 IM.

“These are world-class athletes competing at the very highest level with records being broken all over the place,” Adams said.

London organizers and the World Anti-Doping Agency insisted their system for identifying banned substances would determine whether any athlete was employing performance-enhancing methods. Blood samples taken from athletes will be kept for eight years. At the Opening Ceremony, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge exhorted the athletes to “reject doping. Respect your opponents. If you do that, you will inspire a generation.”

Gary Wadler, the past chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list committee, said questions were fair game considering the circumstances.

“When you have extraordinary performances like she has you have to raise the question, ‘Is it legitimate?’  ” Wadler said.

Charles Yesalis, a retired epidemiologist at Penn State and an expert on performance-enhancing drugs, noted China’s history of doping. The government controls the pharmaceutical industry in China.

He said it does not matter whether or not she tests positive.

“She could be using designer drugs that are not known to the testers.

“If a former rock musician can fool the best labs in the world with the clear, the Chinese government can do it, too,” added Yesalis, referring to Victor Conte, who played bass in Tower of Power before he founded BALCO, which supplied previously undetectable steroids to track and field athletes as well as MLB and NFL players.

On Monday, American swimmer Caitlin Leverenz referred to China’s doping history when asked about Shiwen’s breakouts, but chose her words more carefully on Tuesday.

After claiming bronze, Leverenz shook hands to congratulate Shiwen in the pool, but a Team USA spokesman interrupted a doping question from reporters in the mixed zone to say that she would be answering only “swim topics.”

Pressed on the PED issue, the spokesman said, “I won’t allow her.”

Later, in the press conference, where she sat next to Shiwen, Leverenz was asked if it could be possible that Shiwen swam faster than Lochte.

“She’s proven that it’s possible,” Leverenz said.

Chinese reporters applauded. She left the room to their cheers moments later.