China’s most decorated swimmer, Sun Yang, has returned to competitive swimming after serving a 51-month doping ban. Born in 1991 in Zhejiang Province, Sun is the country’s most decorated swimmer and first to win Olympic gold. Nicknamed “China Sun,” he is a three-time Olympic champion and an eleven-time world champion.
In 2020, Sun was suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for refusing to provide a sample to testers who visited his home in 2018. He was initially given an eight-year ban, which was later reduced to four years and three months on appeal.
Sun’s ban ended on May 28, 2024. The 32-year-old told the media that he never stopped training and vowed to return to competitive swimming. On August 25, Sun competed in China’s National Summer Swimming Championships in Hefei and won gold in the men’s 400m freestyle with a time of 3:49.58. The swimmer wept during post-game interviews, expressing deep gratitude to his family, whose unwavering support and comfort encouraged him to persevere and carry on.
Sun’s return has been one of the most-discussed topics on social media in late August. There were 130 trending topics related to Sun on China’s Twitter-like platform, Sina Weibo, garnering 7.1 billion views. Most netizens expressed positive sentiments about his long-awaited return and congratulated him on his latest victory in the national competition.
However, it is unlikely that Sun will be able to represent China in international competitions again. According to China’s anti-doping regulations, athletes who have been banned for more than one year are not eligible for selection to the national team. On September 2, Sun stated during a livestream that he has returned to the Zhejiang provincial swim team.
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