Sun Yang of Zhejiang reacts after the men's 400m freestyle swimming final at 13th Chinese National Games in north China's Tianjin Municipality, Aug. 31, 2017. Sun Yang won the gold medal with 3 minutes and 41.94 seconds. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua)
By Sportswriters Gao Peng and Zhou Xin
TIANJIN, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese swimming superstar Sun Yang claimed the 100th gold medal of his career on Thursday when he cruised to a comfortable victory in the men's 400m freestyle at the National Games.
Sun, the first Chinese male swimmer to ever win an Olympic gold medal, stormed to the lead after the first 50m and touched home in 3 minutes 41.94 seconds, the world's second-fastest time for this year. It was also just 0.56 seconds short of his winning time at last month's world championships in Budapest, Hungary.
"I had a cold several days ago and wasn't feeling so good before the race, so I am very satisfied with the results," said the 25-year-old Sun, who represents Zhejiang Province at the quadrennial multi-sport event.
Zhou, a swimmer-turned journalist who has covered the sport for over 20 years, said that it is very challenging for swimmers to hit top form again after such a short interval. "As one of the world's best swimmers, Sun has shown his outstanding will and abilities," said Zhou.
Sun, who is bidding to win seven titles at the Tianjin Games, admitted that some of his friends suggested he reserve some energy for the upcoming events.
"I think, since I've entered the race, I should go all out for it," Sun told reporters.
More than 1,000 fans came from around the country to cheer for Sun at the Tianjin Olympic Aquatics Center on Thursday evening. In return for his fans' support, Sun asked for a pop song titled "Perseverance" to be played during the 400m free final.
"This song has helped me overcome some difficult times. I hope to convey the spirit of perseverance to everybody else," said Sun.
With the 400m free victory, Sun achieved a feat of winning at least one title at three editions of National Games in a row and reached the 100-gold milestone as well. Looking back on his glittering career, Sun was so emotional that he shed tears at a celebration party organized by his family and fans Thursday night.
Sun's first title was won in a 10km open water race in 2002. One year later, he was called up into to the Zhejiang provincial team. The towering Sun, who is 1.98m tall, rose to stardom at the 2011 worlds in Shanghai when he grabbed gold medals in both 800m and 1500m free.
Sun became the first Chinese man to win an individual Olympic gold in the pool when he took the 400m and 1,500m freestyle events at the 2012 London Games. Dominant from 400m up, Sun snatched a 200m gold from the Rio 2016 Olympics to compliment his distance collection.
For Sun's father Sun Quanhong, the 200m freestyle title won in Rio meant the most. "Sun injured his foot at the beginning of last year. He overcame lots of pains and difficulties before returning to the pool and eventually making the top of podium in Rio," Sun Quanhong said in a choked voice.
Already being China's most decorated swimmer and being considered one of the greats in swimming history, Sun says he has a bigger aim to strive for.
"I hope to see more younger talents to emerge in years to come. And I hope to win a relay title for China at the world championships or the Olympic Games, because winning relay events is the symbol of a genuine swimming powerhouse," he said.
So far, China's best finish in the men's relay events is the bronze medal - twice in world championships (2011 and 2013) and once in an Olympic Games (2012).
