Swimming/Pan Zhanle: I invited David Popovici to China, but he couldn't come, so I came to Romania
Chinese Olympic swimming champion Pan Zhanle, the world record holder in the men's 100m freestyle, said on Friday that he had been determined to train alongside David Popovici. As the Romanian swimmer was unable to accept his invitation to train in China, Pan travelled to Bucharest for a joint training camp instead.
'At first I wanted to invite David to China for this training camp, but unfortunately he couldn't come. So we came to Romania instead. That's one of the reasons why I'm here. I'll definitely be supporting him at the European Championships. This week I've learned from David his concentration, his ability to stay focused and his self-discipline,' Pan said at a press conference.
The Chinese champion, who succeeded Popovici as the holder of the world record in the 100m freestyle, said he had enjoyed his stay in Romania.
'I feel very good here. The weather is lovely and the people are very friendly. I've also tried Romanian food and it's delicious. I especially enjoyed the food at the restaurant we visited on Wednesday - everything was excellent. I even tried some Chinese food because it's my favourite,' Pan added, admitting that, apart from knowing David Popovici, he had previously known virtually nothing about Romania.
Olympic champions David Popovici and Pan Zhanle are currently holding a joint training camp in Bucharest, training at the Lia Manoliu and Dinamo swimming facilities. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Adrian Tone; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)
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