Wu Peng (; born May 16, 1987 in
Hangzhou
Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...
,
Zhejiang
Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...
) is a Chinese former
swimmer
Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
. He has concentrated on the
butterfly
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...
since the 10th National Games in 2005.
Early life and career
Wu's parents first sent him to the pool when he was four years old as an exercise for weight-loss.
[http://v.ku6.com/show/i8tt2DSnVXd7xS-p.html 我的奥林匹克——吴鹏 (translation: "My Olympics – Wu Peng") as part of the 2004 "我的奥林匹克" ("My Olympics") series.]
He first decided to dedicate himself to swimming while watching swimming in the 1996 Olympics; the best result for Chinese men's swimming was 4th place in 50m freestyle, while Chinese women's swimming got gold. Wu said to his father that he wanted to be the first Chinese man to stand on the podium for Olympic swimming.
Wu's father died of a heart attack in 2003 while meeting Wu to bring him home for the weekend after practice.
Career
He had excellent times at the National Games and Asian Games. In fact, he has brought hope to China's swim team since first joining it. He was one of the youngest swimmers on the team when he joined.
At the
2004 Athens Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
, when he was only 17, Wu Peng made the 200 m butterfly final and became the only Chinese swimmer to finish in the top eight at the games. It was only Wu's first Olympics, and the team was satisfied with his performance.
At the
2006 short course World Championships in Shanghai, Wu won the 200 m butterfly in a championships record. He also won the bronze medal at the
2005 World Long Course Championships in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, and the silver behind
Michael Phelps
Michael Fred Phelps II (born June 30, 1985) is an American former competitive swimmer. He is the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold me ...
at the
2007 World Long Course Championships in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, both times at 200 m butterfly. At the
Beijing Olympics, he carried the nation's hopes for a breakthrough in swimming. Although making it to the finals, he managed a joint fourth with the New Zealand swimmer
Moss Burmester.
He suffered an injury in 2009 and could not make it to the World Long Course Championships to try for the podium once again.
Wu himself has said that if he were to medal in the London 2012 Olympics, he would consider his career to have been full and satisfying.
Wu Peng defeated Michael Phelps in the 200
fly
Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...
in consecutive events, at the Michigan Grand Prix and Charlotte UltraSwim, in 2012 ending Michael Phelps' streak of 60 wins in nearly 9 years.
[https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/05/14/sports/AP-SWM-Charlotte-UltraSwim.html ]
Major achievements
*
2002 Asian Games
The 2002 Asian Games ( ko, 2002년 아시아 경기대회/2002년 아시안 게임, Icheoni-nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheoni-nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the XIV Asian Games ( ko, 제14회 아시아 경기대회/제14회 아시안 ...
: First, men's 200 m backstroke, 200 m butterfly and 400 m individual medley
*
2004 Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
– Finalist, 200m butterfly
*2004 National Swimming Championship & Olympic Trial – First, men's 400 m individual medley and 200 m butterfly
*2005 National Swimming Championship & National Games Qualifiers – First, men's 400 m individual medley
*
2005 World Championships – bronze, men's 200m butterfly
*
2005 East Asian Games
The 4th East Asian Games was an international multi-sport event for countries in East Asia which was held in Macau from October 29 to November 6, 2005.
Host city
At the 11th EAGA Council Meeting held in Guam in March 1996, Macau, then a Portugues ...
– First, 400 IM; Second, 200 fly
*
2006 Short Course Worlds – First, men's 200 m butterfly
*
2007 World Championships – silver, men's 200m butterfly
*
2008 Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nati ...
– Finalist (fourth-place finish), 200m butterfly
*
2011 World Aquatics Championships
The 14th FINA World Championships () were held on 16–31 July 2011 in Shanghai, China at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The 2011 World Championships featured five aquatics disciplines: swimming, water polo, diving, open water, and synchro ...
– Bronze, 200m butterfly
References
Wu PengMen's 200 m Butterfly Final,
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Peng
1987 births
Living people
Chinese male medley swimmers
Chinese male butterfly swimmers
Swimmers from Zhejiang
Olympic swimmers of China
Sportspeople from Hangzhou
Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
Asian Games medalists in swimming
Swimmers at the 2002 Asian Games
Swimmers at the 2006 Asian Games
Swimmers at the 2010 Asian Games
Asian Games gold medalists for China
Asian Games silver medalists for China
Asian Games bronze medalists for China
Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games
20th-century Chinese people
21st-century Chinese people