China's Sun has no plans of slowing down after comeback from doping ban

Formerly banned Chinese swimmer Sun Yang said he has no plans to retire and is driven by the desire to push his limits after finishing sixth in the men's 400 meters freestyle at China's National Games in Shenzhen.

Three-time Olympic champion Sun, who turns 34 next month, was banned from competing for four years and three months for a dope test violation in 2018 in which he and members of his entourage smashed vials containing blood samples.

The ban, reduced from the original eight years on appeal, expired in May 2024. Sun missed national trials for the Paris Games due to the suspension.

He won the men's 400 meters freestyle title last year at the National Summer Swimming Championships in Hefei after his return to action.

Sun, who represents Zhejiang province, initially qualified for Wednesday's 200m freestyle final after a semifinal swim of 1:48.30, trailing 18-year-old leader Zhang Zhanshuo by 1.41 seconds. However, he was disqualified in the final, though the reason for his disqualification remains unknown.

"Every race is the best test of my current form," Sun told Chinese media on Tuesday. "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.

"My persistence represents the final line of defense 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. Now, I want to break another barrier — to see how far an older athlete can go."

Sun clocked 3:49.53 to finish sixth in the 400 meters freestyle on Tuesday, finishing 6.71 seconds behind leader Zhang, who topped the field in 3:42.82.

Zhang also won the 200m freestyle final, with Ji Xinjie finishing second and Pan Zhanle completing the podium. — Reuters