"I am fully prepared physically and mentally," the 37-year-old said. "If the weather remains fine on Sunday, I am confident of reaching the other side of the channel."

Zhang will start his journey at 6:30 Sunday morning guided by pilot Taylor Dencun, secretary general of the English Channel Swimming Association, which was founded in 1927 to govern swimming across the channel.

Zhang, a teacher of the Beijing Sports University, made history last August by crossing the 109-kilometer Bohai Gulf in 50 hours 20 minutes, which connects China's Liaoning and Shandong provinces.

Duncan said: "I have acted as pilot for a lot of swimmers in the English Channel, but it's the first time for a Chinese. It's of great significance,"

(People’s Daily 07/29/2001)