Incheon: Five facts on China’s Sun Yang, who won the Asian Games 400 metres freestyle swimming on Tuesday:
* Sun Yang, 22, is considered one of the best distance swimmers in history. He shot to global attention when he smashed Grant Hackett’s 1,500 metres world record at the 2011 world championships. The following year he became the first Chinese man to win an Olympic swimming gold medal, when he took the 400-metre and 1,500-metre titles in London. Sun set a new 1,500-metre world record of 14min 31.02 in London. At last year’s world championships Sun became only the second swimmer after Hackett to hold the 400-metre, 800-metre and 1,500-metre titles at the same time.
* Sun has frequent battles with authority that have led him to jail and prolonged suspensions from the swimming pool. In 2013, the Zhejiang province institute of sport suspended him from commercial activities and warned him about his personal behaviour after a battle with his coach over a relationship with an airline stewardess. Sun missed training to go on dates.
* The swimming star’s notoriety grew in November last year when he was caught driving a relative’s Porsche without a licence following a collision with a bus. He was jailed for one week and suspended from swimming for six months.
* Sun was born in Hangzhou, Zhejian province and his parents were basketball and volleyball players. He likes Western pop music and is said to be a follower of Canadian start Avril Lavigne. Sun is an avid fish-eater, according to Chinese media.
* Sun quote: “I am young and I make mistakes sometimes,” he acknowledged in one interview last year as he wrangled with his coach, who later quit citing health concerns.