Chinese's women's freestyle wrestler Sun Yanan joined the national team's training camp in Nanchang, east China's Jiangxi Province, after resting nearly a year to recover from anterior cruciate ligament surgeries in both knees.

Sun secured the women's 48-kilogram bronze medal in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and then pocketed the women's 50 kg silver in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. However, instead of celebrating, she sat frustrated on the cushion with tears in her eyes at Makuhari Messe in Tokyo because she lost the final in less than two minutes because of a mistake she made.

Back then, when Sun was asked if she will participate in the Paris Olympics in 2024, she didn't confirm because she was facing so many difficulties and challenges at that time: injuries, aging and the rise of younger athletes.

However, when Sun appeared in Nanchang in early 2023, she looked totally different. "When I make up my mind, all difficulties and challenges cease to be a problem," she said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency. She also posted a photo of her competing in the Asian Games in 2010 on the social media platform. "It's the first international tournament I participated in. When I look at this photo and recall that happened at that time, I feel like that, after 13 years, my love for wrestling has never change," Sun added.

Sun is still rehabilitating after missing a series of competitions due to the surgeries she underwent in May 2022. It will take her some time to go back to formal practice of wrestling. One of the besting things that happened to her during he absence from the competitions was marrying Zhang Ridong, who is also a professional wrestler.

"He (Zhang) is a Greco-Roman wrestler, I'm a freestyle wrestler. The two events have some in common but are also different on some fronts. When we analyze the competitions or talk about practice, our discussions often heat up," Sun told Xinhua. "He supports me in continuing to wrestle. He knows I have regrets and I want to take this opportunity to fight for my dream. It's my goal, but I can't do it without the support of my family and my team."

One of China's biggest opponents in the women's wrestling is Japan. According to, Sun, the event is a traditional forte of Japan. A lot of their athletes began to practice this sport when they were children. They have a better understanding of wrestling and implementation of skill details than their Chinese counterparts.

"But we have advantage in general quality and absolute power. We have reasons to be confident," Sun added.

Sun wants to go to compete in Paris in 2024 if she can. This time, she wants to finish the competition with a smile on her face.