GUANGZHOU, China - Giant screens, loud music, popular dance and singing made the FINA Champions Swim Series like a live show, but the swimmers were always the biggest stars in the pool as Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden, Fu Yuanhui and Xu Jiayu of China were the biggest winners on the first day of the new competition here on Saturday.
Backstrokers Fu Yuanhui and Xu Jiayu made local fans crazy as Fu touched wall first in the women's 100m backstroke in 59.60 seconds and later she edged teammate Liu Xiang, world record holder, in the 50m back in 27.60.
"I seldom compete two finals in one night and I like the new competition very much. I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere with the audience and the breath-taking race," Fu said.
