Sun Yang vows to be faster in London Olympics
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Xinhua, September 24, 2011
With a new 400m freestyle Asian record in hand, Chinese 1,500m world champion record holder Sun Yang has more confident in triumph at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Sun, 800m and 1,500m freestyle gold medalist at the Shanghai World Championships, enjoyed a class of his own to lift the 400m title in a new Asian record time 3:40.29. The previous Asian record was held by Olympic runner-up and former 800 world champion Zhang Lin 3:41.35 set in 2009 Rome worlds.
Sun's time was 0.22 shy of the world mark set by Paul Biedermann of Germany during the high-tech swimsuit era in 2009.
"I planned to break the Asian record and I tried my best during the race. But my target of this meet is not to rewrite the record, but to get ready for next year's Olympic Games. This meet is not important at all."
"My biggest disappointment in Shanghai words was that I lost to Park Tae Hwan of South Korea in the 400m because I was lack of experience. I want to prove myself that I can swim faster than that," said the 20-year-old.
As the pre-meet gold contender of the 400m freestyle, Sun produced a below-par performance in the final on the first day of swimming competition in Shanghai worlds when he placed second 3:43.24 after Park's 3:42.04.
"I was too eager to show myself that I forgot to keep my own pace, especially it was the first day of the swimming competition in Shanghai."
"I've learned a lesson from the defeat in worlds. The Asian record is a new beginning for me. I believe I can improve myself through the following training. I plan to to train in the highland after this meet, then go to Australia on December for at least eight weeks," Sun said.
Sun broke Australian Grant Hackett's 1500m freestyle world mark in Shanghai and was the first Chinese man in history to hold a world swimming record in an Olympic event.
While most of the swimmers had a vacation after the worlds and swam in poor form in Rizhao, Sun was in his normal form. "My form remains in relatively high level. I guess it's because I've been trained for many years under my coach Zhu Zhigen. I have not swim up-and-downs recent years. I want to be as stable as possible."
"I believe I can break the 400m world record sooner or later. I believe I can win over Park Tae Hwan in 400m next time when we meet. I believe I can be better and faster in London," Sun said.
