Two female swimmers are in the spotlight at the 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade.

Lu Ying from China is now a two-time gold medalist at the Gwangju Universiade, and Rachel Bootsma from the U.S. has won a bronze medal in the women's 100-meter backstroke.

Ying topped the women's 50-meter butterfly final held at the Nambu University International Aquatics Center on July 5, breaking the existing Universiade record. She succeeded in bettering the Asian Games record at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. On July 8, Ying won another gold medal in the women's 100-meter butterfly and she has now become a two-time gold medalist in Gwangju.



Ying, born in 1989, showed her potential at the Incheon Asian Games last year. She won a silver in the women's 100-meter butterfly in Incheon and a gold in the women's 50-meter butterfly with 25.83 seconds, breaking the then existing Asian Games record.

Ying again broke the Universiade record in the women's 50-meter butterfly. Now, she aims to win medals at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next year.

Ying took part in the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, in 2010, her first international tournament. She won a bronze in the women's 50-meter butterfly there. Later, at the London Olympic Games in 2012, she obtained a silver in the women's 100-meter butterfly final.



Ying, one of the major Chinese swimmers, became even more famous after she appeared in a photograph side by side with Liu Xiang, a member of the Chinese track and field team, in 2011. Now, Ying is hugely popular on Weibo, a Chinese social networking site.

As for Rachel Bootsma, a member of the U.S. national swimming team, she specializes in the backstroke. She already won a bronze in the women's 100-meter backstroke on July 7. This week she will compete for more medals in the women's 50-meter backstroke and the women's 4x100-meter medley relay.

Bootsma set a record when she was 13-years-old, growing up in Minnesota. Jon Foss, her first swimming coach and a former professional swimmer, taught her elder sister, Katie. Later, Foss discovered Rachel's talent in swimming. Young Rachel joined a swimming academy established by Foss. At the age of four, Rachel was already considered a swimming prodigy. Rachel graduated from the academy, setting a school record.




Bootsma placed third in the women's 100-meter backstroke in the U.S. Swimming National Championships only one year after joining the U.S. national swim team. In 2012, her dream of taking part in the Olympics came true. In the same year, she was ranked second in the qualification rounds to join the U.S. national swim team before the 2012 Olympics. In London, Bootsma won a gold medal in the women's 4x100-meter medley relay.

By Limb Jae-un
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos courtesy of the Gwangju Summer Universiade Organizing Committee
jun2@korea.kr