In the 200-meter freestyle competition held in Rio on Aug. 8, Sun Yang became the first Chinese champion of this event. After his win, Sun's mother shared a post on her social media: "Sun Yang, you are the best. For this victory, you waited and fought for four years. Although the process was laborious and tiring, all your effort has been worthwhile."

The champion's mother knows just how hard he has worked, and from all appearances she is right to praise his efforts. In the decade since he began to train as a professional swimmer, the total distance that Sun has swum in training and competitions is 60,000 kilometers, or 1.5 times the length of the equator. Sun's training is said to require more than 10,000 meters per day, and over 3,000 kilometers per year.

Sun's fifth metatarsal bone was fractured when he arrived in Australia to train in January. He was advised to rest for at least eight weeks. However, since Sun knew he would be a key athlete in this year's Rio Olympic Games, he restarted his training just five weeks after the injury. Making his first appearance of this year at the U.S. World Grand Prix, Sun won a silver medal.

"Sun is impeccable in training," national swim team leader Xu Qi said. "Sometimes when I finish training late, I go for recovery treatment after I'm done. I usually see only one person still in the physiotherapy room so late. It's always Sun," recounted retired Olympic champion Liu Zige in an interview.

Sun has so far earned three gold medals in the London and Rio Games. In the 2011, 2013 and 2015 World Championships, Sun won seven gold medals in total, and was selected as the "most valuable player" (MVP) twice. He currently holds the world record for the 1,500-meter freestyle.