BEIJING: Chinese swimmer Sun Yang is poised to return to the pool at a major domestic meet next week following the expiration of his four-year doping ban, according to state media.
Sun, China’s first Olympic gold medallist in men’s swimming, will compete for his home province of Zhejiang at the National Summer Swimming Championships in Hefei, which start on Sunday. The 32-year-old will participate in the 400 meters freestyle, a distance he won at the 2012 London Olympics.
The three-time Olympic champion was banned for four years and three months due to a 2018 doping violation where he and his entourage destroyed vials containing blood samples. The ban, originally eight years, was reduced on appeal and expired on May 28.
During his suspension, Sun missed national trials for the Paris Olympics, a period during which China’s swim team faced heightened scrutiny over the country’s doping history. In April, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirmed that 23 of China’s swimmers had tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned heart medication. This was later attributed to contamination from a hotel kitchen where the team stayed.
Sun had previously served a three-month suspension in 2014 for taking trimetazidine, claiming it was for a heart condition.
The Hefei meet is considered second in prestige only to China’s National Swimming Championships. Despite his return, Sun’s chances of representing China on the international stage again remain uncertain.
