A seven-member team, including four sprinters and two coaches, will leave for five and a half months' training today with double Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson and his coach, Clyde Hart, at the Ultimate Performance Training Camp, based at the University of Baylor in the US.

The Chinese Athletics Administrative Center said three of the runners are from Shanghai -- Yang Yaozu (200m), Zhou Jiamin (100m) and Hu Chengjiang (400m) -- and one is from Hubei, Jiang Bo (400m).

Their coaches, Liu Xia and Ma Shiren, will accompany them to help Hart get to know them.

"This is the first time we'll be sending our runners to train under the guidance of the American coach," said Feng Shuyong, vice director of the administration. "Since the US is a sprinting powerhouse, we expect to learn lots of useful training concepts and methods."

Last June, Johnson and Hart came to China to hold several clinics for athletes. Their advanced methods gave coaches and athletes many useful insights.

"We know a lot about their methods through last year's clinics," said Feng. "As they are very willing to help Chinese sprinters, we have decided to continue our cooperation."

"The sprint and relay races are the most important track and field competitions at the Olympics, so we have listed them as key breakthrough events for the 2008 Games," said Feng.

"In order to make sure more runners qualify for later heats, and even the finals, we're sending them abroad to improve their development.

According to Feng, Liu Xiang's success in Athens deeply affected coaching methods here.

"After Liu claimed the first sprint gold medal for China in the 110m hurdles at the Athens Olympics, advanced sports science has attracted a lot of attention," he said. "We have invited Liu's coach Sun Haiping to lecture on his methods, and now it's time for us to gain some foreign experience."

However, Feng said that training abroad does not mean replicating their methods. "We will have to take the conditions of Chinese athletes into consideration. This is our first attempt at foreign coaching and we hope to find an effective way to cooperate in accordance with our athletes' physical forms and competitive potentials."

"We are very glad to have the chance to experience high-level training," said the 23-year-old Yang, who was the only Asian to reach the second round of the 200 meters at last year's Olympics. "Johnson has already pointed out my potential in the 400m as well. We will try it this time and hope to gain an overall improvement."

According to Feng, if the trip goes well, more athletes will be sent overseas in the future. "We are getting in touch with African athletics associations right now and we hope to send men's middle and long distance runners to train in Kenya this year."

(China Daily January 31, 2005)