Chinese swimmer Sun Yang has again won the Pacific Rim's Best Male Athlete by U.S. sports magazine Swimming World. It was the fifth time the 26-year-old claimed the honor.
The magazine selects the top male and female swimmers from Africa, Pacific Rim, Europe, Americas, and World each year.
Sun previously collected this prize in three straight years from 2011 to 2013, then added a fourth last year, and has now made it a quintet. He earned gold medals in four events at the 2018 Asian Games, topping the podium in the 200, 400, 800, and 1500 meters freestyles. That brought his career total to nine titles in the continental event.
Sun's rise to prominence in the sport was quick - he was only 16 when he made his first Olympic final in the 1500m free at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, then claimed his first two Olympic gold medals in the 400m and 1500m during the 2012 London Games. In 2016, he expanded his gold-medal collection by winning the 200m free.
Cate Campbell of Australia poses with the five gold medals she won at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Tokyo, Japan, August 13, 2018. /VCG Photo
Meanwhile, Swim World's Best Female Athlete for the Pacific Rim is Cate Campbell of Australia. The 26-year-old won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in the 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly, as well as the 4x100m freestyle relay in which her team set a new world record.
The announcement of the Male and Female World Swimmers of the Year will be revealed on December 1. Sun Yang is the only Chinese who won this award before in 2013.
Cover: Sun Yang of China wins the men's 1,500m freestyle final in the 2018 Asian Games, Indonesia, August 24, 2018. /VCG Photo