Sun to compete in May after suspension

Olympic champion swimmer Sun Yang will compete at the National Championships in May in his first formal competition after being suspended from training and racing for driving without a license in November, an official confirmed on Tuesday.

Sun will compete in three individual freestyle events, the 200m, 400m and 1,500m, and a possible 4×200m relay at the tournament, which will be held from May 12 through 17 in Qingdao, Shandong province, as national trials for the 2014 Asian Games, national team leader Xu Qi said.

The Zhejiang College of Sports, with which Sun is affiliated, imposed suspensions on the 22-year-old after he was caught driving without a license after a traffic accident in Hangzhou in November, prohibiting him from training, racing or taking part in endorsement activities.

Having missed training for about half a year since the National Games in September, Sun was allowed to return to training and was cleared by the college to enter competitions in March.

“It will be his first formal race since returning from the ban and a lot of people are concerned at his status,” Xu was quoted by Qingdao local media as saying.

“His training is progressing after recovering from surgery on his left big toe. We are not sure about his racing form yet but we believe he will bring us surprises at the Asian Games.”

The annual National Championships in Qingdao will attract more than 700 swimmers from 28 teams around the country to compete for spots in the national lineup for the Asian Games, which will begin on Sept 19 in Incheon, Korea.