By Sportswriter Ma Xiangfei

    ATHENS, Aug. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Tears sparkling in her eyes, newly crowned 100m breaststroke Olympic champion Luo Xuejuan said she was never so happy.

    "This will be the most unforgettable moment in my life and I just want to thank the people who always support me," said Luo after she pulled of the first swimming title in Athens for China in an Olympic Games record time of one minute 6.64 seconds.

    "It is also the most important moment in eight years for the Chinese swimming team," said the 20-year-old, who finished eighth in the 200m breaststroke in Sydney Olympics four years ago when her teammate Qi Hui came fourth.

    Starting off the blocks in the first lane, Luo turned first at the 50 meters mark with a time of 31.34 and showed the winning determination down the stretch to swim a 35.30 in the last 50 meters.

    Australian world record holder Leisel Jones, hot favorite for the title ahead of the Games, had to settle for the bronze while her fellow countrywoman Brooke Hanson took silver.

    After Luo successfully defended her 50m and 100m breaststroke titles and became a member of the winning 4x100m medley relay teamat last year's Barcelona world championships, pressure started mounting on her as the biggest gold medal hopeful for China in theswimming event.

    But the swimmer from China's southern province Zhejiang said she had enough confidence to deal with it.

    "I didn't get any nerves before and during the competition," she said. "When I touched the pad, I was 80% sure that I won."

    "When I looked up, I got that 20%," she said.

    Starting learning swimming at six, Luo has always cut a confident figure and never conceals her strong desire for victories.

    "During competition, I will picture myself as a wild beast which is about to snap at its prey,"said the 1.68m Luo. "The prey,of cause, is the gold medal."

    His confidence for victory was not shaken a little bit even after her seventh finish overall in the semifinal where Jones emerged the fastest.

    "Although I was a little slower in the semifinal than I formerly planned but it was all under control," she said.

    "I told her before we came here that you were the best in the world and no one could beat you," said Luo's coach Zhang Yadong.

    "She is the strongest competitor in the field and she deserves the win," he added.

    "She is a strong-minded girl and very tough. The fiercer the competition gets, the better she can perform," said a doctor surnamed Zhang, who is a researcher with the country's sports governing body.

    But Luo was still not totally satisfied despite her brilliant victory.

    "I did not break the world record. It was a pity," said Luo, who missed the world record by 0.27 seconds. Enditem