Sun Yiwen went through one of the darkest days when China lost to South Korea and Italy in the women's team epee semifinals and the bronze-medal bout at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.

Sun suffered injury against South Korea and had it had been haunted her for a long time since then.

Sun took a vocation to recover after the Chinese National Games in September 2021 in northwest China's Shaanxi Province. She didn't participate in her first international bout until November 2022. It took her months to find her form back.

"I took a vocation and then started over," Sun told China Media Group (CMG). "I rebuilt my skills and rethought about my performance. I think it opened my mind."

In July 2023, Sun secured the women's individual epee bronze medal at the World Championships in Milan, Italy.

However, the Chinese women's epee team continued to struggle during the same time. They lost to China's Hong Kong in the semifinals at the Asian Championships in Wuxi, east China's Jiangsu Province, in June 2023 and finished in only the 12th place at the World Championships one month later. As a result, the Olympic qualification for Paris was in danger.

Fortunately for the team, they managed to bounce back at the FIE Women's Epee World Cup in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, in March. The team beat China's Hong Kong in the Round of 16 and defeated the world No. 1 South Korea in the quarterfinals before securing the silver medal in the end to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games.

"When we finished that bout, I felt like the pressure on my shoulders was gone by half," Sun said. "I was like 'man, this is harder than the Olympics.'"

Sun, who already has one gold (individual), one silver (team) and one bronze (individual) under her name, is ready to compete for more honors in Paris.

"I already won the Olympic title, so, now I just want to leave no regret as a fencer," Sun told CMG. "If I'm given the chance, I want to try every possibility."