Chinese distance legend Wang Junxia (
Wang, who won two Olympic medals in 1996, said strict and rigorous training was essential for success.
"Like foreign countries, if children want to do well in a particular sport they have to train well and hard. It's the same as other countries," she said in an interview on Sunday. "Just like in daily life, if you want to become successful in anything you must overcome all challenges."
However the 34-year-old, a one-time protege of controversial coach Ma Junren (馬俊仁), who won 5,000m gold and 10,000m silver at the Atlanta Olympics, conceded some coaches should be more "human" with the younger athletes.
"I think maybe some of those training are a bit strict. They are only children so it should incorporate some human side," she said. "Anyway there are good coaches and there are bad coaches."
China's training methods came under the spotlight in 2005, when British Olympic rower Matthew Pinsent accused a Beijing gymnasium of abusing young children.
Other accounts have told how thousands of promising youngsters are conscripted into the state sports system, sometimes against their will, where they endure hours of tough training every day.
But Wang, who was selected at the age of 15, said she enjoyed her experience at government athletics schools.
"I loved training because I was always told I was the best," she said. "I always did well in the races, so I loved the whole process."
Wang also defended retired coach Ma, whose vast success was tainted by doping allegations, saying he had "good training methods."
Photos of the chain-smoking Ma riding a motorcycle as he led athletes on brutal marathon-a-day, high-altitude training sessions remain his enduring image.
"He's the strictest coach I had. He's very clever and he has a never-say-die attitude. He always has the heart and the attitude to achieve something. He always wants to be a winner," Wang said.
Caterpillar fungus and turtle blood were favorite herbal concoctions handed out by the coach, whose "Ma's Army" burst onto the scene with a series of titles at the 1993 World Championships.
After Wang split from Ma in 1995, he and his runners were barred from the 2000 Sydney Olympics following test results indicating team doping.
Wang was reluctant to comment on the Olympic chances of top distance runner Sun Yingjie, who is mounting a comeback after a two-year doping ban.
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