Staging a quintessential ‘mega comeback,’ Chinese swimmer Sun Yang has attained a remarkable feat. Despite being away from competitive races for nearly 4.5 years while he was serving a ban, Yang hardly lost touch with his stellar form. And shortly after a whirlwind of emotions engulfed him when he won the heats at the National Summer Swimming Championship, he has now picked up his first title in a while, ending the dry spell.

It took him 3 minutes and 49.58 seconds to taste success in the domestic competition, bringing laurels to his hometown, Zheijang. The triple Olympic champion is now the 400-meter freestyle gold medalist, a long-awaited acclaim that has come his way, marking the start of a fresh chapter after his doping controversy. However, the swimming fraternity isn’t getting over the resentment soon. Especially after a brutal reaction surfaced quite recently at the Paris Olympics.

In the packed La Defense Arena Paris, Bobby Finke’s 1500m time toppled the existing Olympic world record of 14:31.02, one that was previously set by Sun Yang at the 2012 London Games. This garnered a shocking reaction from the bronze medalist in the same event, Daniel Wiffen. He mentioned, “I think everybody wanted it done, the whole swimming community wanted it gone.” Wiffen added, “I mean it speaks for itself. It’s set by Sun Yang, I mean it’s not really…I mean, the guy doped. People want it gone because they want the records to look clean.”

Rewinding to 2014, Yang tested positive for trimetazidine, a prohibited substance, which he had been using for a heart treatment. Though he was suspended for 3 months, that wasn’t the end of his disheartening fiascos. In 2018, Yang’s anti-doping test turned out to be the athlete’s biggest nightmare. The 32-year-old was accused of having broken his test vials, which amounted to a doping test violation. Subsequently, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) issued an eight-year ban for the athlete. But it was after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) that it was reduced to 4 years and 3 months.

While this kept him away from both the Tokyo and the Paris Games, he has now returned with unflinching fervor. And he hopes to brush up on his form.

Burying the past, Sun Yang’s single-minded focus is on the future

Speaking to the local Chinese media after his finals, Sun Yang agreed, “I could have done better.” He agreed that it might take time for him to oil the wheels of his wagon: “Four years away from competition, and without intensive training, I do feel rusty in controlling the tempo and I need more competitions.” However, a victory always feels special. Especially when it appears in the form of a light at the end of a tunnel. Thus, Yang agreed, “But it’s a good start for my comeback and I’m happy with this result.” 

After his heats victory, he confessed how the feeling of getting back in the water and winning was familiar. Not discounting the fact that he was still nervous and a bit anxious. Naturally so, for he hadn’t raced in a long time. But the future looks bright for him hereafter. What are your thoughts on this? Share with us in the comments below!