London Aquatics Centre, 2012. One young man confidently awaits the klaxon, before diving into the pool headfirst and changing the face of Chinese swimming forever. He is Sun Yang, the first Chinese male swimmer to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games.

Born into a sporting family, the 25-year-old world-record-holder made his debut swimming for China at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and then never looked back as he consistently bolstered his reputation in freestyle swimming. As of 2015, Sun Yang was ranked 5th in the world at the men’s 1500 meter freestyle swimming, according to Swimming World magazine, widely recognized as the most trusted source for swimming on the globe.

As one of the most influential and recognizable athletes in China, Sun was granted the title of “Best Men Athlete of the Year” at Sports Personality of the Year, held by China Central Television (CCTV), along with the State General Administration of Sports in 2012. A year later, Swimming World also recognized Sun as the best male in the “World Swimmer” and “Pacific Rim Swimmer” categories.

This year, Sun is set to represent his country to compete for medals at Rio 2016. Do you think Sun will be able to retain his gold medal in the 1500m free? Can he break the word record this time? Tell us your predictions, or pass on your encouragement to Sun!