At the age of 38, the grey-haired Mark Foster was more like a coach rather than a competitive swimmer. However, the British sprinter just wanted to show that he had a young heart and really enjoyed the sport by making his fifth Olympic appearance.

Foster was not the eldest one in the swimming competition in Beijing as American lady Dara Torres made a strong comeback at the age of 41. The short-course specialist was even not the oldest male swimmer here for Turkish Serkan Atasay being one day elder than him.

However, setting a new personal best and British record of 21.96 seconds in the 50m freestyle this year meant that Foster's comeback was really serious.

"I have a very very young heart," said Foster on Wednesday with teammates such as David Davies and Liam Tancock shone beside in their early 20s.

"I used to be the baby of the team," said Foster who made his Olympic debut in 1988 in Seoul. "Now, I'm quite old, but I'm feeling a much younger side of myself."

Foster was the runnerup in the 50m freestyle race at the 2003 World Aquatic Championships in Barcelona, Spain. But a shoulder injury disrupted his preparations ahead of Britain's 2004 Olympic trials and he missed the qualifying mark by just 0.05 seconds.

Foster announced his retirement in 2006 then returned to the competitive pool one year later, aiming at his first Olympic medal.

Foster said he didn't train as mush as the young guys, "but go to the gym to get as strong as possible." Besides, "I'm mentally stronger and more relaxed."

Foster didn't reassure his aggression on Wednesday by saying that his expectation was just making the top 16 in Beijing.

"I just want to feel the enjoyment of swimming and I really really enjoy the moment."

Foster believed that he was in best shape that he has never been before, but his focus was not only on swimming any more.

"I do a lot of modelling, TV work and radio work. There are lots of things to keep me focusing on," said Foster.

Competing at the 2012 London Olympic Games?

"We'll see in four years," Foster said.

Source:Xinhua