Record breakers lay down gauntlet

"My training has been better than the corresponding period last year," said Tang, who won the 100m breaststroke gold at last year's short-course worlds. "Both my technique and fitness have improved. My standards are very high now.

"There's no room for me to make any mistakes if I want to win, but I'm looking forward to every competition. No matter who's swimming next to me, I just want to improve my personal bests."

Double Olympic champion Zhang Yufei felt she wasn't quite up to her own lofty standards despite setting a national record in the women's 50m freestyle.

"I'm both happy and not that satisfied with the new national record as I was actually aiming at refreshing the Asian record. I joined up with the national team in August, so I'm at about 90 percent now, but I feel good about where I'm at so far," said Zhang, who will defend her 200m butterfly title at the worlds in Australia.

"Time is limited, though, in terms of preparation, and being the Olympic champion can bring extra pressure, so I need to take care of both the butterfly and freestyle. If I think too much, I might feel there are too many rivals to beat and goals to achieve.