Fu Yuanhui speaks during interview.(Photo: VCG)
With China's national swimming championships underway in Taiyuan, northern Shanxi Province Friday, Fu Yuanhui finished 14th in the women's 200-meter backstroke heats due to a shoulder injury. Olympic and world champion Sun Yang claimed victory in the men's 200m freestyle.
Fu, who became a social media sensation after her quirky interviews at the 2016 Rio Olympics, is trying to recover from an injury on her left shoulder, but is not yet where she hoped to be. The 22-year-old Zhejiang native failed to reach the final with a 14th finish in the women's 200m backstroke heats, clocking a time of two minutes and 15.19 seconds.
The Olympic bronze medallist at the 100m distance said she had lost weight and strength since suffering the injury. Fu had also sought out treatment from the doctors who cared for her teammates, as she didn't have her own medical specialist, and is thinking about quitting the sport.
On the men’s side, three-time Olympic gold medalist Sun competed in the men's 200m freestyle. Sun wore his signature pink trunks and represented Zhejiang Province. He surged ahead by the halfway mark and powered to victory in 1:46.07, which ranks fifth in the world this year. Shandong's Ji Xinjie took second, while Wang Shun of Zhejiang finished third.
Sun Yang celebrates for victory.( Photo: VCG)
This is Sun's first official competition of the season, after claiming titles in the 200m and 400m freestyles at last July's World Championships in Budapest, before grabbing six golds and one silver at the Tianjin National Games in September.
This competition was a warm up for the 27-year-old as he is going to compete in the following Asian Games in August. Sun said: "After last year's World Championships and Chinese National Games, I took a long vacation, and returned to the water at the end of year. It was my hope that I could regain my form in three months."