Sun Yang

Who is Sun Yang?

Sun Yang is a Chinese Olympic and world-record-holding distance swimmer. He swam for China at the 2008 Olympics. At the 2010 Asian Games, he won the men's 1500m freestyle in an Asian Record; this swim and his two other medals at the Games were cited in his being named the Rookie of the Year at the 2010 CCTV Sports Awards. At the 2011 World Championships, Sun broke the world record in the 1500 metre freestyle, set by Grant Hackett in 2001 and the longest-held world record in swimming at the time it was broken, and the only men's swimming record to not have been beaten during the techsuit era. He won the 400 m and 1500 m freestyle at the 2012 Summer Olympics, becoming the first Chinese man ever to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming. At the 2012 Olympics, he was one of two male swimmers to win two individual titles, the other being Michael Phelps.