[File photo]

Chinese siwmming superstar Sun Yang said in a recent interview that he won't give up long-distance events.

Sun was honored at the 2016 Top 10 Athletes of Zhejiang Province Award Ceremony on Feb.15. For his excellent performance at Rio, Sun unanimously won the Best Male Athlete of the Year award.

Sun, who won gold in the 400m and 1,500m freestyle at the 2012 London Olympicsto become his country's first male Olympic swimming champion, has raised eyebrows after the Rio olympics for participating in several variety shows.

But he reassured the public at the ceremony. "I attend these variety shows intermittently, but I am still keep training all the time. I am in a pretty good form now, so please look ahead to my performance in this year," said the 25-year-old.

Sun also denied rumors that he will give up the long-distance events for which he is famous, and instead focus on short-distance events in the future.

"Actually, I'm working on both speed training and aerobics simultaneously now. Maybe in the qualification trials, I will participate in multiple events: 200, 400, 800, 1500 and relays, maybe 6 or 7. And I will try my best to get good results in every single game," he said.