Sun Yang profile

Sun Yang became one of the country's most recognizable athletes after the star swimmer won two gold medals at the London Olympics.

Sun was born in 1991 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. He swam for China at the 2008 Olympics. At the 2010 Asian Games, he won the men's 1500 m freestyle, logging an Asian Record. This Asian Record and his two other medals at the Games helped him win the Rookie of the Year at the 2010 CCTV Sports Awards. At the 2011 World Championships, Sun broke the world record in the 1500 metre freestyle, set by Grant Hackett in 2001. It was the longest-held world record in swimming at the time it was broken.

At the 2012 Olympics, Sun Yang won the 400 m and 1500 m freestyle, becoming the first Chinese man ever to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming. He was one of two male swimmers at the London Olympics to win two individual titles, the other being Michael Phelps.