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May 28 this year is the day when the 51-month suspension of Olympic swimming champion Sun Yang expires. In previous reports, Beijing Youth Daily reporters speculated that his first comeback match would be the National Summer Swimming Championships to be held in Hefei, Anhui Province later this month. Now this news has been confirmed. The Anhui Provincial Sports Bureau confirmed yesterday that Sun Yang appeared on the list of participants for this event held from August 25 to 28.

By then, swimming fans will be able to have a new understanding of Sun Yang’s current competitive state, but his specific events are still unknown.

This year's Olympic athletes basically did not participate

The National Summer Swimming Championships is a national Class B swimming event. Although its specifications and level are not as high as the National Swimming Championships held in the first half of each year, it is also one of the highest level and highest specification swimming events in the country. It is usually held in June every year.

Referring to the previous events, many athletes who failed to meet the standards for the competition in the national championship (the championship is generally used as a trial for the Olympics, World Championships, and Asian Games) will participate in the National Summer Championship to strive for a second chance to meet the standards or be selected for the national team. This year's summer championship is scheduled after the Olympics. The national team players who participated in the Paris Olympics are on vacation and relaxation and basically will not participate in the competition, but some second-tier players of the national team who failed to go to Paris will choose to participate in Hefei.

51-month suspension ends and a new life is given

According to the final ruling of the Swiss Federal Court at the end of 2020, Sun Yang's suspension period will end on May 28, 2024. Since the implementation of the ruling of the International Court of Arbitration for Sport on February 28, 2020, the 51-month suspension period has been completed, and the 32-and-a-half-year-old Sun Yang has been reborn.

The picture shows a screenshot of the Weibo post released by Sun Yang's studio on May 28 this year.

Although he failed to make it to the domestic trials for the Paris Olympics and will not be qualified to represent the Chinese team in international competitions in the short term, it is reasonable for Sun Yang to choose the National Swimming Summer Championships in Hefei as his first comeback match. If he can maintain his competitive form, Sun Yang will most likely be able to wear the Zhejiang team uniform again at the 2025 Greater Bay Area National Games and appear in the swimming pool of the Shenzhen Universiade Center, returning to the National Games stage after an absence of 8 years.

Competitive in short distance freestyle

The end of Sun Yang's suspension is the beginning of his competitive career, because in the past 51 months, Sun Yang has never said that he would retire, and has repeatedly expressed his desire and determination to continue swimming through his social media platforms and media interviews. For any athlete engaged in competitive sports, 4 years and 3 months is an extremely long and tormenting time, not to mention that Sun Yang's event is a "youth competition" that requires strong physical support.

During this bleak period, he did not choose to be depressed, but gritted his teeth and persevered and chose to make a comeback. On April 24, Sun Yang's studio released a 28-second video with a concise caption that clearly expressed his firm determination and eager anticipation for a comeback: "Getting into the water is the best start. Keep fighting, be brave to challenge, and you will eventually break through yourself. There is something to love and something to look forward to."

However, it is not possible to tell Sun Yang's current competitive level from the video alone. It is not realistic for Sun Yang, who is nearly 33 years old, to compete in long-distance events. However, he is very competitive in the 200m freestyle and 400m freestyle events. Especially in the 200m distance, Sun Yang is still among the top and first-class players in China. Of course, this needs to be tested in formal competitions.

It is not realistic for Sun Yang, who is nearly 33 years old, to compete in long-distance events again (data map)

Since he cannot participate in international competitions in the short term, domestic competitions will become a test for Sun Yang. In the pool of the National Summer Championships, let us wait and see how the swimming idol that Pan Zhanle was determined to surpass when he was 10 years old is doing.

Text/Reporter Liu Ailin

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Sun Yang returns to the game! Can he return to his peak? We will know next week

On August 20, news came from the Anhui Provincial Sports Bureau confirming that Sun Yang will join the Zhejiang team to participate in the National Summer Swimming Championships held in Hefei.

It is understood that Sun Yang's super topic also forwarded the information on the sale of the 2024 National Summer Swimming Championships. The 2024 National Summer Swimming Championships will be held in Hefei from August 25 to 28.

On May 28, 2024, the 32-year-old Olympic swimming champion Sun Yang was officially released from the ban after a 51-month ban.

According to previous reports, in order to meet the Olympic qualification, Sun Yang had planned to participate in the "Seven Hills Cup" international swimming competition held in Italy from June 21 to 23, so that he could catch the last train to the Paris Olympics before the Olympic qualification deadline on June 23. However, Sun Yang was not included in the final list of participants. In fact, judging from this news at the time, Sun Yang had basically lost his last hope of participating in the Paris Olympics.

Sun Yang was sentenced to an eight-year ban by the International Court of Arbitration for Sport due to the scandal of resisting off-site doping tests. Later, after an appeal, the sentence was reduced to more than four years. During the ban, Sun Yang repeatedly stated on his personal social media: "Swimming is an inseparable part of my life, and I will always stick to my love."

Sun Yang in the competition (data map)

On April 24 this year, Sun Yang's studio released a 28-second video with a concise caption: "Getting into the water is the best start. Keep fighting, be brave to challenge, and you will eventually break through yourself. Love and look forward to it." Although he will be 33 years old at the end of this year, Sun Yang still maintains his yearning for the swimming pool. Due to the lack of formal training and competition for a long time, his competitive state is still unknown. Compared with his peak physical fitness and cardiopulmonary function, Sun Yang's current condition is bound to decline, but the recovery period of short-distance speed explosiveness can be quickly shortened through training. In short-distance events such as 200 meters, he still has the opportunity to hit the podium in domestic competitions.

So on May 28, the day the ban was lifted, Sun Yang expressed his excitement and determination to continue his swimming career. In fact, the biggest goal of Sun Yang doing this is to participate in the Paris Olympics. But objectively speaking, there is only one way for Sun Yang to participate in the Paris Olympics, that is, the General Administration of Swimming Center can make special arrangements and give Sun Yang a chance.

However, the Chinese swimming team has issued a clear order in 2023: athletes who violate doping regulations will never be selected for the national team. This means that even if Sun Yang is lifted from the ban, it will be impossible for him to return to the national team and compete in the Paris Olympics.

When the Olympic list was announced, an industry insider pointed out that Sun Yang's desire to participate in the Olympics when he returns is largely "wishful thinking" because the possibility of the national team giving him a break is basically "zero", but the National Swimming Summer Championships held in Hefei at the end of August is likely to be Sun Yang's first stop in his comeback. The industry insider said that if he can maintain his competitive form, Sun Yang will most likely represent the Zhejiang team in the 2025 Greater Bay Area National Games.

During the years of suspension, Sun Yang rarely shared anything about swimming except live streaming, so it is unknown what events he will participate in, what his condition will be, and whether he will still be competitive. However, judging from the participation of the Chinese team in the Paris Olympics, there is currently no "successor" for the men's 400m, 800m and 1500m events that Sun Yang is good at, which can bring new opportunities to him as a "veteran".

Sun Yang revealed in an interview on August 11: "I will definitely be seen at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao National Games next year. I will also try my best to show my best side, including my physical condition and competitive state, to my fans and swimming fans who support me. This is to give back to everyone who has cared about me in the past four years."

At this year's Paris Olympics, Sun Yang's 12-year record in the men's 1500m freestyle was broken by American Fink.