Sun Yang, one of the most controversial swimmers of the 21st century, made his return to official competition on Sunday in Hefei, China, after a four-year suspension. Competing in the 400-meter freestyle, Sun clinched victory with a time of 3:49.58. His return marks his first race in over four years, though some competitors from the Paris Olympics were absent.
Sun’s suspension followed a 2018 incident where he failed to cooperate with anti-doping testers at his home. During the visit, a member of Sun’s team destroyed a vial of his blood with a hammer, and the testing crew reported aggression and intimidation from Sun and his entourage. Sun and his team refused to validate the samples, questioning the testers’ credentials.
Originally banned for eight years in February 2020, Sun’s suspension was later reduced to four years on appeal. The final decision came just before the delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021. This was not Sun’s first brush with a ban; he was previously suspended for three months in 2014 after testing positive for Trimetazidine (TMZ).
Although his reduced suspension ended before the Paris Olympics, Sun did not qualify for the event as he missed the selection meet held in April before his eligibility resumed in May. Despite this, Sun expressed his determination to return to the sport regardless of qualification issues.
In his comeback race, Sun initially clocked 3:54.98 in the heats, placing second. He was visibly emotional while speaking to reporters, as noted by the South China Morning Post. Sun attributed his return to the unwavering support of his family, stating, “[Getting back to this point] really is because of the reliance and support from my family, that’s what was able to make me persevere to today.”
Although Sun improved in the final, his time fell short of his best performance of 3:40.14 from the London Olympics 12 years ago, where he became China’s first Olympic champion in men’s swimming. He also won gold in the 1500 freestyle, silver in the 200 freestyle, and bronze in the relay in London. Sun later secured gold in the 200 freestyle and silver in the 400 freestyle four years later, accumulating 11 individual world titles in total.
Reflecting on his comeback, Sun told China Daily, “I could have done better. Four years away from competition and without intensive training, I feel rusty in controlling the tempo and need more competitions. But it’s a good start for my comeback, and I’m happy with this result.”
