Park targets four individual golds in the pool

DOHA, Dec 3 (Reuters) South Korean teenager Park Tae-hwan is aiming to spoil China's party in the pool by winning four individual gold medals at Doha's Asian Games.

The 17-year-old cruised through today's heats of the men's 200m freestyle to qualify fastest in 1:49.75 and set the stage for his first gold medal of the Games, which China look set to dominate after winning five of six events on the opening day.

The newcomer, ranked second in the world in the 400 metre event, said he was in good condition and capable of winning gold medals in the 100, 200, 400 and 1,500 metre freestyle events.

The 200m freestyle final is later today.

''I will be trying to win four gold medals. I believe this is possible,'' he told reporters at the Hamad Aquatic Centre.

''I feel good, and the time was good because I eased off on the final length.'' Park became the first South Korean to win a major swimming title when he bagged two gold medals in the 1,500 and 400 metre freestyle at the Pan Pacific Championships in Canada in August.

He also won silvers in the 200 and 800 distances.

Five months earlier, Park brought home two silver medals from the World Short Course Championships in Shanghai.

The Korean is seeded first in Doha in all but the 100 metre freestyle, for which he is the fourth fastest on paper.

Prior to the competition, he said the extra events would be a test of his endurance ahead of next year's world championships in Melbourne and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

REUTERS PDS PM1724