Zhang Lin

Who is Zhang Lin?

Zhang Lin is a Chinese swimmer specializing in the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle events.

Zhang was selected for the national team in 2002. At the 2003 World Aquatics Championships, he was the only Chinese male swimmer to reach the individual finals, finishing in eighth place. In 2005, he broke China's 400 freestyle record at the National Games, and was crowned 200 and 1,500 freestyle champion.

Zhang Lin won a silver medal in the men's 400 meter freestyle at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing with a time of 3:42.44, only 0.58 seconds behind gold medalist South Korean Park Tae-Hwan, and making him at the time the third fastest 400 meter freestyler in history. Zhang's silver was the first Olympic swimming medal ever by a Chinese male swimmer.

At 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome, Zhang won a bronze medal in the men's 400 meter freestyle and a gold medal in the men's 800 meter freestyle; the gold medal finish was a world record and the first time ever by a Chinese male in a world swimming competition in the past 73 years.