Spanish synchronized swimmer Gemma Mengual said on Tuesday that she was excited at the prospects of the Spanish team in the Beijing Olympics.
Mengual is the best known member of the Spanish synchronized swimming team has won the World Championships on four occasions and has a total of 13 medals from international competitions. Now she is aiming for Olympic glory.
"I am really excited by the prospect of going to Beijing,"she told newspaper El Mundo Deportivo.
The President of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco, said on Monday that synchronized swimming was one of Spain's best medal hopes in the Games and Mengual agrees with him, although she is uncertain whether or not the Spanish can take the gold medal.
"Two medals would be a very good result for us, but the most realistic thing for us to do is to think about winning silver and then try to get as close to the Russians (who are the favorites for gold) as possible."
The 31-year-old competed in Sydney 2000, finishing eighth in the duo event and had the frustration of finishing fourth, just outside of the medal positions, in the duo and team events in Athens four years ago. She realises Beijing is now her only opportunity to win an that elusive medal.
"These will be my last Games and although I am not obsessed by winning, there is a responsibility on us. We are all excited,"she said.
(Xinhua News Agency July 23, 2008)