While former world record holder Sun Yang of China missed the chance to represent his nation at the 2024 Olympic Games, he will still be making his post-ban debut this year.
According to Anhui local news site Dawan, 32-year-old Sun is set to race at the National Summer Swimming Championships taking place in Hefei from August 25th – August 28th.
Sources from the Anhui Provincial Sports Bureau revealed to Dawan that they received confirmation from the sports authority about Sun’s participation and the arrival of the high-profile athlete has intensified security measures at the venue. (China Daily)
The hype surrounding the freestyle ace’s return is real, as the tag “Sun Yang‘s Comeback Confirmed in Hefei” reportedly climbed to 9th place on Weibo’s trending list, garnering over 14 million views. (China Daily)
After serving a 4-year doping suspension which lasted until May of this year. We reported in June of last year that Sun returned to training and had no plans to retire.
Entering Paris, Sun still owned the men’s LCM 1500 freestyle world record with the 14:31.02 he produced for gold at the 2012 Olympic Games. However, American Bobby Finke took this down as he topped the podium just weeks ago.
You can review how Sun Yang‘s doping suspension unfolded via our past articles:
