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Ye was boring in Hangzhou city, East China's Zhejiang province on March 1, 1996. She comes from an ordinary working-class background.

She is known for her big hands and feet, but otherwise she's smaller than other swimmers at 5-foot-7 (1.72 meters) and 141 pounds (64 kilograms).

Ye started swimming young, after a teacher noticed she had bigger hands and legs than other children of her age.

Ye Shiwen never said she was tired, or that she didn't want to swim anymore, Reuters quoted Wei Wei, Ye's childhood coach, as saying.

"She was especially hard working and conscientious. In just two months, she went from not being able to swim, to swimming freestyle and backstroke well."

Ye's big hands and feet and broad shoulders gave her an advantage over children her age, propelling her to compete against older children.

By the time she was 13 Ye was competing nationally, in the senior category, and while she did not win any awards her times put her in the top-16 in both medley races and the 100 freestyle.

When advised to reconsider entering sporing career, she said, "I want to swim, I like to swim. Dad don't worry, I'll be fine."

In 2007, she began swimming for the Zhejiang provincial swimming team, and then in 2008 joined the national team.[More]