Sun Yang:China's New Swimming Star

Chinese swimmer Sun Yang has broken the oldest world record in swimming at the world championships in Shanghai.

Let's join Zhang Ru to learn more about the emerging Chinese swimming star.

When Sun Yang won the gold medal in the men's 1500-meter freestyle at the 14th FINA World Championships in Shanghai, he celebrated with boyish delight.

The 19-year-old ran to the stands to give his mother the stuffed animal that he received as a medalist, and while standing on the champion's podium, he clumsily unfurled a Chinese flag and draped himself with it. With this being the second world championship he has won, Sun is now poised to become China's latest star in the pool.

"I used similar tactics to those used during the Guangzhou Asian Games. I just followed my own tempo in the race. I wasn't obsessed with the world record before the final; I just wanted to focus on my own game plan. My goal was to win gold. I'm so grateful to the whole Chinese team, including my coach and my parents, and I think the world record belongs to all of them."

In his gold medal winning performance in the men's 1500 meter freestyle, Sun clocked in at 14 minutes 34.14 seconds, breaking the longest-standing world record in swimming - the previous owner of which was Australian Grant Hackett, set in Japan in 2001.

The victory gave Sun his second gold medal at this year's world championships.

Earlier, he won the men's 800 meter freestyle after taking silver in the 400 meter freestyle behind South Korea's Park Tae-hwan.

Sun was born into a sporting family in east China's Zhejiang Province. His parents were once volleyball players, but didn't want their son to follow in their footsteps, after experiencing the difficulties in becoming professional athletes.

In 1998, Sun Yang's parents changed their minds after meeting with Sun's first swimming coach Zhu Ying. Zhu took Sun Yang, the tallest boy in kindergarten, to her summer swimming training class.

Straight away, it was obvious that Sun was a naturally gifted swimmer. After four years of training at Chen Jinglun Sports School in Hangzhou, he was chosen by his coach Zhu Zhigen to join the provincial swimming team of Zhejiang Province.

With the intention of becoming a long distance swimmer, Sun had to endure harsher training regimes than his fellow short distance team mates.

"Long distance swimming is actually a rather boring sport. I can hear nothing in the water. My own faith helps me to finish the 1500-meter swim according to the requirements of the coach."

Sun came into the spotlight after wining the men's 1500 meter free style at the Asian games, setting an Asian record in the process.

This experience in 2010, he says, gave him the confidence to go on to achieve more.

"The 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou left a deep impression on me. Defeating Park Tae-Hwan, a superstar swimmer, made me more confident in my own ability and helped me during training."

Sun Yang says he considers the Korean swim star Park Tae-Hwan as his toughest opponent to date.

"When I feel tired during training, I'll think about my opponent Park Tae-Hwan. He is the World and Olympic champion. I train hard everyday to catch up to his level, because he's not only my opponent but also my idol."

Sun says he has learned a lot from his opponent thus far.

"It's not all about the gold medal. I have learned a lot from Park Tae-Hwan. He is my senior and I should continue to learn from his experience and calmness during competition."

When the 2012 London Olympics roll around in just under a year's time, it's hard to imagine anyone other than Sun being the favorite in the 1500 freestyle.

Sun's coach Zhu Zhigen is extremely confident in his star pupil.

"He has a great chance of winning if he can seize the opportunity. The Chinese men's swimming team places all its hope on Sun Yang winning gold medals in both the World Championships and the 2012 London Olympic Games. What we have to do now is to turn that pressure into motivation."

With the glory and fame gained at the Shanghai Worlds, Sun has found himself being chased by fans and media alike, though he says he will learn how to cope with the pressure.

"To be honest, I don't like being at the centre of the media's attention, because it will only affect my training. But I know that people's attention means they acknowledge my achievements. After coming under intense exposure during the World Championships, I hope to make progress every day as I said on my micro-blog."

Like many teenagers, Sun is a fan of micro-blogging and pop music. He is also a very emotional young man, and was seen in tears more than once during the Guangzhou Asian Games.

Sun says he has matured a lot since the Asian Games and vows not to provide a repeat episode in the future.

What people see now is a rising swimming star who celebrates his victory calmly, pursuing his dream with firm intent.

He will soon begin training in Australia in preparation for the 2012 London Olympics.

For CRI, this is Zhang Ru.