After amassing 33 gold medals across major international and domestic meets in 2023, Chinese swimming sensation Qin Haiyang is preparing to make an even bigger splash at this summer's Paris Olympics.

"I hope I can be like a thunderbolt in the pool at the Paris Games. I hope I can produce the best result possible, and make a real splash. I will keep pushing myself to produce better and better performances," Qin told China Daily online show Tracking Success.

"Preparing as best I can for Paris involves extremely detailed and comprehensive planning in terms of training, warm-up competitions and my daily schedule. So I have to be ready for this both mentally and physically. Right now, every day is pretty busy for me."

Qin's 2023 gold rush began with three titles at a national championship in March. Months later, he wowed the world with a hat-trick of breaststroke golds (50m, 100m and 200m) at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, lowering the 200m world record to 2:05.48 in the process.

There was no letup from the 24-year-old as he continued to dominate at international events, including the World Cup and Asian Games. Among all his gold medals, Qin cherishes his world-record triumph the most.

"Actually, I won more medals last year than I'd managed in my entire career before 2023. It's nice to know that my training and the cooperation between my coach and I are moving in the right direction. So, these achievements were not totally unexpected. It's just a natural progression from our plans," said Qin.

"The most memorable race was definitely the one in which I broke the world record at the world championships. The 200-meter breaststroke was the first discipline that I trained, and it holds a special meaning for me.

"I've been dreaming and striving to stand on the world's highest podium and break the world record one day. And I finally made it. But I didn't think too much before that competition. I didn't think about exactly what I could achieve. So, in a way, the record-breaking result was also a big surprise to myself."

World records don't fall, however, without the right training plan — and for that Qin's coach Cui Dengrong deserves credit. Cui, who also coaches Chinese butterfly queen Zhang Yufei, won the Asian Coach of the Year award last year for his efforts. Qin also benefits from the input of an international coaching team, which oversees everything from strength conditioning to swimming technique.

"I can learn from different coaches about different skills, in order to have a more comprehensive training program. Because at different stages of an athlete's career, we need different training methods. So, we can never stop learning from both domestic and foreign coaches, who can provide great ideas or good training methods. And then we combine these methods and tailor plans for each athlete to grow," he explained.

Qin's sensational form has inevitably generated huge media attention, which poses a new challenge for the world champion.

"I think this is an issue that many athletes have to cope with. Dealing with pressure from the public and media is just something that can't be avoided. In the past, I used to be easily influenced by the noise outside, which can affect your mindset and performance in the pool. But now I know what I want deep in my heart. I'm more focused," he said.

Faraway dreams

Qin told China Daily that his first memory of the Olympics was the 2008 Beijing Games.

He had just begun to learn how to swim at the time, and recalled: "I watched the Beijing Games on TV. At that time, I had no dreams of becoming a world or Olympic champion. All that was too far away for me."

When he first dipped his toes in the pool, at the age of five, the goal was simply to find a sport to enjoy. But when the youngster began breaking national youth records, coaches soon realized they had a special talent on their hands.

Amid all the success he has enjoyed, Qin credits one of his biggest disappointments as a turning point in his career.

"It was the national team selection for the 2016 Rio Games — I didn't make it and was really gutted about it. That was when I realized I needed to have a firm goal and dream big. That was also when I first felt the thirst to shine on the global stage and show my talent," said Qin.

A torpedo-like figure in the water, Qin says he is much "calmer and slower" as he goes about his business in everyday life. In fact, he is so laid-back that his sluggishness in the locker room earned him the nickname "slow goat".

"Some of my friends even called me 'lazy goat' when I was a kid. Even nowadays, I still believe that the faster you are in the pool, maybe you should be a little bit slower in life. You always need to slow down a little bit from time to time. Life should be relaxing," Qin added.

"And after all these years of ups and downs, my attitude toward swimming remains the same. It's my love, my passion and my life, so I will just keep swimming. And if I had a time machine to meet my five-year-old self, I would tell him to never easily give up, to think more and practice harder."

Now as an idol for China's next generation of swimmers, Qin hopes to inspire more young people to bravely chase their dreams in the pool.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts. My name is Haiyang, which means ocean in Chinese," he said.

"However, when I was a kid, I was just like a little stream. Then I fought to become a river, and I'm fighting to become the ocean just like my name. I hope all the dream chasers can overcome the difficulties ahead of them, and always shine on a bigger stage."

Tracking Success delivers the inside story for global sports fans, exploring what makes elite performers tick, and providing insight into their biggest and most intriguing moments on and off the field of play.

shifutian@chinadaily.com.cn