Sun Yang broke down in front of reporters after winning gold in the men’s 400-meter freestyle at the China National Summer Swimming Championships in Hefei on Sunday.
Despite the fact that he had previously been demonized by many in China as a drug cheat, state media welcomed his comeback.
His victory on Sunday comes soon after a widely reported anti-doping controversy during this summer’s Olympics in Paris, where China claimed that its athletes were being unfairly singled out.
In a heartfelt conversation with media outside the pool, the 32-year-old expressed gratitude to his loved ones for supporting him in his return to competition.
He told the South China Morning Post, “This is really because of my family’s reliance and support—that’s what’s kept me going until today.”
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) suspended Sun in 2020 for not giving samples to testers who had come to his house.
Sun became the first male swimmer from China to win an Olympic gold medal in 2012 when he won the 400- and 1,500-meter freestyle events in London. He won another gold in the 200-meter freestyle at the Rio Olympics four years later.
