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September 20, 2018

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New semester for triple Olympic champion

SUN Yang has offered to teach his new schoolmates to swim and invited them to watch him compete.

The triple Olympic champion, who is beginning a PhD at Shanghai University of Sport, attended the university’s commencement ceremony for the autumn semester yesterday morning.

As the representative of the 1,600 new students, Sun made a speech and expressed his determination to do well academically.

“In sport, we have a saying — records are made to be broken,” Sun said. “We have all achieved a lot before, but from now on, all our achievements belong to the past. We come here to study, to explore the unknown, and to become better versions of ourselves.”

“Campus life is something I have always looked forward to, but had to miss all these years due to my training,” he said. “I hope that everyone will help me in my studies and, in return, I can teach you to swim.”

Sun will be studying kinesiology, the science of bodily movement, one of the university’s foremost areas of teaching.

“We will have a customized teaching program for Sun, given his special circumstances,” said university president Chen Peijie.

“Kinesiology is the study of movement. With his new knowledge, Sun may be able to improve his own performance. Scientific knowledge can help an athlete achieve better results,” Chen added.

Sun’s parents are graduates of the university and both were among the alumni who met new students after the ceremony.

“I spent some very memorable times at this university,” said Sun Yang’s father Sun Quanhong, who was a professional volleyball player before taking a bachelor’s degree.

“I have always told my son to love whatever he is doing no matter what it is. As long as you try your best, there will be nothing to regret,” said Sun’s father.

Sun’s next challenge will be balancing his training and his studies.

“There will come a day when I have to leave the pool, so I don’t want to fall behind in my education,” he said. “Kinesiology will also help me train in a more scientific way.”

“One should not choose too leisurely a life while still young. Everybody has their own challenges to conquer, and persistence is what matters,” Sun said when talking to his fellow schoolmates.

“When I’m in poor form, I try not to question myself too much. Under the direction of my coaches, I push myself a little bit more and slowly improve. Mental strength is important.

“I hope I can take all of you to watch me compete one day and feel the atmosphere. When you see the national flag being raised, you will have a clearer picture of what you should strive for.”

Sun completed a bachelor’s degree in education at Hangzhou’s Zhejiang University in 2014.

He then enrolled in Suzhou University for post-graduate study and finished his dissertation last October. His master’s thesis was a technical analysis of the men’s 200m freestyle final at the 31st Olympiad, a race he won at the 2016 Rio games.

Turning 27 in December, Sun won four gold and two silver medals at the Asian Games in Jakarta last month. He holds the world 1,500m freestyle record which he set during the 2012 London Olympics, when he was the first Chinese man to win an Olympic gold in swimming.

He was also the first male swimmer to win Olympic and World Championship events at every freestyle distance from 200m to 1,500m.

“When I started swimming, China was still weak in the sport. After winning my first international medal, a bronze at the 2009 World Championships, I had a better understanding and knew my potential — I have realized my dreams through hard work.”

Sun will not have any major competition to attend until next year. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics is the biggest event on the horizon.

Talking about the rise of talented Japanese swimmers who showed their mettle at the Jakarta games, Sun said he has been learning from his opponents.

“Japanese swimmers are making innovations every year. Chinese swimmers are starting to feel a sense of crisis, especially in team and women’s disciplines.

But competition is good for the development of the sport. I don’t always think of them as opponents, but learn from their technique, including their turning skills.”




 

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