Sun Yang will not swim in the men's 1500m freestyle at the FINA World Championship in Budapest, Hungary for health reasons, after participating in a number of high-intensity competitions.

Sun, leader of China's male swimming team, won gold medals in the 200m and 400m freestyle events at the World Championships, but ranked fifth in the 800m freestyle competition due to poor physical strength. Nevertheless, Sun said after the race that he would take part in the 1500m if the team needed him to do so.

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Liu Daqing, director of the Swimming Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, said: "As a result of the continuous high-intensity competition in the World Championship, for his health considerations, to protect his physical wellbeing, and for the preparation of the Tokyo Olympic Game's long-term plan, he will not take part in the 1500m this time."

AFP Photo

In a previous interview, Liu said Sun had participated in too many events and has been working too hard.

"Which events Sun will participate in in the future are under consideration, it will be based on his own physical situation. We hope that he will improve his overall strength through training, but it doesn't necessarily mean that he has to get the medal of the 800m freestyle in the Tokyo Olympic Games. Our purpose is not to force him to race, but to let him perform better to his own ability."

Sun is the reigning 1500m freestyle world record holder, a record he broke when winning gold at the London 2012 Olympics, but has not competed over the distance frequently since a victory at the 2014 Asian Games.