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TOUGH TASK: Zhang Guirong, who trains four to six times a week, says juggling work and training for the Games is difficult. -- ST PHOTO: ALBERT SIM
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SINGAPORE'S Olympian Zhang Guirong has made an astonishing confession: she is not ready for next month's Beijing Games.
To make things worse, the Shenyang-based shot-put specialist has been training only part-time since April when the Singapore Athletic Association (SAA) turned down her request for personal financial assistance.
In between training, she coaches at a primary school in Shenyang to earn pocket money.
'I'm not well prepared for the Olympics,' she said in a phone interview. 'I've been juggling work and training. It's difficult as I've not got used to it yet.
'I'm not resting enough, so my body doesn't have time to recover.
'Sometimes during training, I feel like I've no strength. But I've told myself to do the best that I can.'
The Shandong native said that she had no choice but to take up a part-time job, after supporting herself through full-time training for the past 15 months.
'Financially, I just can't sustain myself any longer. It costs money to train full-time - paying for facilities and coaching fees,' she said.
But SAA president Loh Lin Kok shot down her claims of operating on a tight budget.
He said the association allowed her to keep the $10,000 she received from the Multi-million-dollar Award Programme for her South-east Asia Games gold medal last year, even though it was entitled to a cut of her prize money.
Zhang also recently competed in the Asian Grand Prix series, where she bagged three silvers in Bangkok (June 23), Korat (June 26) and Hanoi (June 30).
In all, she earned a total of US$2,400 (S$3,270).
Loh said: 'She shouldn't lament or make excuses before the Games.'
Although the SAA has not been backing Zhang financially, it paid for her travels to the various competitions, including the Asian GP series.
The SAA has had a testy relationship with Zhang since 2006.
Zhang, who received her Singapore citizenship in 2003, had then asked to train in China as she claimed there was too much pressure here.
Loh said: 'She has given us so many problems. I brought her here to be a catalyst for our local athletes, but she chose to go back to China. So am I supposed to be sympathetic to her cause?'
Zhang had met the Olympic 'B' qualifying distance of 17.20 metres at last December's SEA Games. She threw 17.21m.
Countries whose athletes meet the easier Olympic 'B' mark can send one athlete per individual event. They can enter a maximum of three athletes per event if all meet the tougher 'A' mark.
At the last Olympic Games in Athens, Germany's Nadine Kleinert threw the shot put 19.55m to earn a bronze medal.
Zhang conceded that an Olympic medal is out of reach. Neither does she expect to better her personal best of 18.57m set in 2005.
The three-time SEA Games champion will remain in Shenyang until the Beijing Games start.
Her current routine is unlikely to change. This means squeezing in training sessions at the Shenyang Sports School before work - each session lasting no more than three hours.
She trains four to six times a week and, occasionally, her long-time coach Li Da drops by to offer some guidance.
Said Zhang: 'He helps me out of goodwill. I don't pay him, so he comes when he is not busy.'
Still, Zhang, who aims to be around for the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, is determined to make the most out of her Olympic appearance.
She said: 'Even if the SAA doesn't provide for me financially, it doesn't matter. We still have a common goal - doing well for Singapore.'
linxinyi@sph.com.sg
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