“Men are not supposed to cry” is a belief many Chinese boys grow up with. Because of this, many men suppress their emotions and refuse to cry, even when they feel overwhelmed. However, Sun Yang has often shed tears in public, never trying to hide his true feelings.
After winning the gold medal in the men’s 400-meter freestyle at the London Olympics, Sun Yang entered the mixed zone in the early morning of July 29 and became emotional, shedding tears twice. When a reporter asked, “Why are you crying?”, he became even more overwhelmed.
This was the third time he had cried in public. The first time was at the 2008 national swimming championships in Shaoxing, where 17-year-old Sun Yang qualified first in the men’s 400-meter freestyle heats but only won a silver medal in the final, leading him to tears. The second time was at the Shanghai World Championships, where he defeated Park Tae-hwan and Zhang Lin in the 1500-meter freestyle and broke a world record that had stood for ten years, crying tears of joy.
This time, he not only achieved a breakthrough for Chinese swimming by defeating South Korean athletes in this event, but also won China’s first Olympic gold medal in men’s swimming, allowing him to fully release his emotions.
He paid a great price for this gold medal. His mother recalled with heartache: “Early in the morning, in such cold water, he had to jump in to train. Sometimes when he was injured, he still had to swim after receiving pain-blocking treatment.” Many times, Sun Yang had to get up at 4:30 a.m. for training while most people were still asleep. Even when he was sick, he could only drink a lot of water to avoid problems with doping tests.
As an athlete, he endured psychological pressure beyond what ordinary people can imagine. Therefore, whether in failure or success, he often released his emotions through crying. As he grew into an Olympic and world champion, such emotional moments may become less frequent, but his genuine personality will remain unchanged.
