Sun Yang, a star reborn (2)

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(China Daily) 09:31, August 14, 2013

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He also becomes the most productive Chinese swimmer by collecting seven world champion titles in two FINA World Championships and one Olympics, surpassing retired female swimmer Luo Xuejuan, who had six world titles.

Sun's overwhelming performance in the pool may signal new stability for the young star after a rocky year.

Unlike the bad boy who was at odds with media and his coach, Sun appeared to be more mature in Barcelona.

"I met the biggest difficulty of my life in the past half year. I was not training well in the last two months, and was not as fit as I was for the Olympics. But I wanted to do my best in the competition and not let down those who supported me," says Sun, who burst into tears after winning the 400m freestyle.

"I have gone through a lot after the Olympic Games, and I have learned how to deal with everything around me in appropriate ways," he says. "All that happened to me were not all bad, but they have made me more mature.

"I am young, and I make mistakes sometimes, but I am back now and I will become better next year," says Sun, adding that he still needs time to reach the lofty heights of Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett.

After Sun's successive wins, his relationship with his old and new coaches were in the spotlight at the Worlds.

Sun has been coached by Zhang Yadong, the former coach of Luo, since July. Coaching a champion adds luster to a career and also means monetary rewards for winning gold medals for the country.

Zhu extended an olive branch to his student after Sun's domination of the 400m and 800m races.

"My door is always open for him," Zhu says. "I care about him all the time. Let the past be past."