Nanjing (China), Aug 22 (IANS): Winner of two medals already in the second Asian Youth Games (AYG), Yang Chunyao of Chinese Taipei has come far since his fear of water kept him away from the waves as a youngster.

"I was afraid of water when I was a child. When I went abroad to have a vacation by the sea, all I could do was make sand castles. My mother was very angry, so she urged me to learn how to swim," Yang said Thursday, reports Xinhua.

Yang has not only conquered his phobia but has developed into a top young swimming prospect for Chinese Taipei. Earlier this week, the 17-year-old Yang won the silver in the boys' 100m backstroke final and the bronze in the 200m backstroke final.

Yang, who will race in the 50m backstroke Thursday, said he is realistic about his chances against swimmers who spend more time in the pool than he does.

"They have better stamina and train longer than I do. They have 14 training sessions per week, but I have only three," Yang said of his opponents.