Ye Shiwen wins gold for China in the London 2012 400m swimming event. The 16-year-old also broke the world record. Photo: David Gray.
Today's Phrase
If you take to something like a duck to water, it means that you discover when you start doing a new activity for the first time, you are very good at it.
For example:
He took to golf like a duck to water. He'd never played before but hit a hole in one!
Kate never seemed like the mothering type but when her daughter was born she took to it like a duck to water. She was a real natural!
Don't confuse it with
A sitting duck. If someone is a sitting duck, it means they are an easy target.
For example:
The soldiers were left exposed on the hill. They really were sitting ducks for the enemy.
Interesting fact
China's Ye Shiwen stormed to gold and set a new world record in the women's 400m medley with a time of 4 minutes 28.43 seconds at the Aquatics Centre. The 16-year-old took a second off Australian defending champion Stephanie Rice's record set at Beijing 2008.
