Olympian freestyle swimmer Sun Yang once again proved his mettle in the waters by dominating the 2017 Chinese National Championships.
Sweeping win
Sun won all five of his events for the competition, namely the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle events, Xinhua reported. His time in the 200m and 400m events put him at the top of the world rankings for this year.
The 25-year-old athlete is considered as one of the best swimmers in the country and has had great success in international competitions, taking two gold medals during the 2012 London Olympics for the 400m and 1,500m freestyle events. He earned his third gold during the 2016 Rio Games for the 200m freestyle.
Sun admitted that he is still having a hard time competing, having just recovered from injuries he sustained during preparation for the Rio Games.
The swimmer added that he is still taking medications to fully recover.
He also revealed that the had considered quitting after his stint, but is still confident that he will be able to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Sun also said that, as the captain of the entire national swimming team, he wants to be a model for the younger players to continue striving for better results.
Young stars shine
Sun's wish was seemingly fulfilled during the event, as his younger teammates also got to showcase their talents. Xu Jiayu, Sun's colleague in both the national and local teams, not only won his fourth gold in the 50m backstroke but also shattered the previous national record for the event, ECNS reported.
Meanwhile, Wang Shun broke the national record for the 200m individual medley by finishing in just 1 minute and 56.16 seconds. He also managed to win gold in the 400m individual medley.
In the women's division, Olympic bronze medalist and Internet darling Fu Yuanhui set a new national record for the 100m backstroke event, clocking in at 58.72 seconds.
Meanwhile, Suo Ran bested the 50m breaststroke with a time of 31.30 seconds.