China’s Sun Yang returning to pool at high-level local meet after end of 4-year doping ban
- The 32-year-old will represent his home Zhejiang province at the National Summer Swimming Championships, which start on Sunday
Chinese swimmer Sun Yang will return to the pool at a top domestic meet next week, his first major competition since the end of his four-year ban for doping.
The 32-year-old is expected to represent his home Zhejiang province at the National Summer Swimming Championships, which start on Sunday in Hefei.
Yang’s drugs ban officially ended on May 28, and his team posted the message “Exceed yourself. Be a fearless swimmer” on social media soon after.
The championships are a Class B national swimming event in China, second only to the National Championships in terms of level and prestige.
Wang Wei, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Swimming Sports Management Centre, said the Olympic gold medallist would compete in the 400 metres freestyle, the event he won at the 2012 Games in London, state media reported.
The triple Olympic champion was banned from competition for four years and three months, reduced from eight years on appeal, for a dope test violation in 2018 in which he and members of his entourage smashed vials containing blood samples.
