A three-time Olympic gold medallist could only watch as his long-standing world record was broken while he was serving a lengthy ban, but he is now aiming to "break another barrier" in the sport.
Sun Yang, who became the first Chinese swimmer to win an Olympic gold when he came first in the 400m and 1,500m freestyle races at London 2012, would go on to win gold at the 200m freestyle in Rio 2016.
The Hangzhou-born swimmer's career was going from strength to strength but in September 2018, his reputation was diminished when anti-doping officials visited his home for an out-of-competition test.
Yang and his team said the testers lacked the proper accreditation and refused to cooperate, while the testing team claimed a member of Sun’s entourage smashed a vial of his blood with a hammer to prevent them from departing with the sample.
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Two years later and in February 2020, the swimmer was handed an eight-year ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which was later reduced to four years and three months on appeal.
As a result, Yang missed both the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and the most recent Paris Games, where he could only watch as his 12-year 1500m freestyle record was broken by American Bobby Finke.
Finke defended his title after touching the wall in 14:30.67, which beat Yang’s previous world record of 14:31.02.
After serving the ban, an emotional Yang marked his return in August 2024 by winning gold in the men's 400m freestyle at China's National Summer Swimming Championships in Hefei.
“This is really because of the reliance and support from my family," he told the South China Morning Post after the race. "That's what's kept me going until today."
Yang has recently expressed his desire to break more records.
"Every race is the best test of my current form," Sun told Chinese media last month. "There's no regret. Once a race is over, tomorrow is a new beginning. No matter if it's young athletes or our older generation, I believe we can all move forward and go further."
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He continued: "My persistence represents the final line of defence for my generation of athletes. I hope everyone will continue to look forward to a better, more complete version of Sun Yang in the pool."
"When I was young, I wanted to win China's first men's swimming gold medal," Yang added. "Now, I want to break another barrier — to see how far an older athlete can go."
Jack Kenmare