China’s Sun Yang has suffered a number of setbacks in the build up to the Rio Olympics but the freestyle specialist said his controversial past has made him more determined to defend his Olympic titles in the Rio Games. Sun served a three-month ban in 2014 after testing positive for a banned stimulant, spent a week in jail for crashing a car driven without a license, and most recently was involved in an altercation at last year’s the World Championships last year.
The 24-year-old also was also suspended from taking part in any commercial activities by Chinese swimming officials for missing training sessions in 2013. However, the 1,500 freestyle world record holder said he was looking to learn from his experiences.
“I think I’ve grown more mature, I won’t have a second chance to experience the prime of my athletic career,” the Chinese swimmer was quoted as saying in the China Daily. “So I am fully investing my time and energy in the pool. Respect is always earned through hard work. It’s not just given, no matter what you won in the past. I am still young and I am still hungry for more titles.”
A gold medallist in the 400 and 1500m four years ago, Sun set the fastest time in the 200m freestyle this year at the June international meet in California.
“No one can be 100 % sure to win gold at the Olympics, but we don’t need to question Sun’s ability to do that if everything goes well in training,” Sun’s coach Zhang Yadong added.
“I have faith in him to win his events.”

Dumoulin back on bike
Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin is still hopeful of competing for road time trial gold at the Rio Olympics despite breaking his left arm near the end of the Tour de France. Dumoulin, regarded as the biggest threat to Chris Froome for the time trial on the hilly Grumari circuit on Aug. 10, posted a video on Twitter of him back on his bike.
“Look what I’m doing?” Dumoulin who won stage nine and 13 on the Tour but suffered a heavy fall on stage 19, said as he filmed himself out pedalling on the road. “It’s a bit stiff but it’s okay. At least I can ride my bike. Don’t try this at home!”
The 25-year-old faces a race against time to be fit for Rio, although the break to his forearm was clean and there was not thought to be any damage to the wrist.

Indian shotputter fails drugs test
Shotputter Inderjeet Singh yesterday became the second Indian athlete to fail a drugs test in recent days, embroiling the nation’s Olympic squad in a doping scandal before next month’s Rio Games. The Asian champion claimed he was the victim of a conspiracy for criticising sports authorities after his A sample taken during routine testing was found to contain a banned substance.
“I am being targeted and it’s a clear case of conspiracy against me. My sample has been tampered with,” Singh, a gold medal winner at the Asian Athletics Championships last year, said in a statement. “Why would I take something which is not good for health? I have been framed because I am outspoken,” the 28-year-old also told Indian TV stations.
An Indian sports official said shotputter Singh tested positive for the banned steroid Androsterone during out-of-competition testing by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) on June 22.
“NADA has informed Inderjeet about the result. If he wants to test his B sample then it has to be done within seven days,” said the official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity. The positive test comes after revelations that Rio-bound wrestler Narsingh Yadav, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist in the 74-kilogram freestyle category, also failed a drugs test. India has not yet decided the fate of either athlete.
Yadav also cried foul, claiming his water and food supplements were contaminated with a banned steroid.
The country is about to send its largest ever Olympic squad of more than 100 athletes in hopes of improving its poor medal count.
India has been rocked by previous drugs scandals and is ranked third on a global list of doping offenders compiled by the World Anti-Doping Agency, behind Russia and Italy. In 2011 six top Indian women runners tested positive for banned steroids.

Wiggins tips Froome to win gold
Bradley Wiggins has backed Chris Froome to emulate his 2012 Tour de France and Olympic time trial double success but felt his former Sky team mate’s task is more difficult as next month’s Games are in Rio de Janeiro.
Froome, who will join Wiggins in the Great Britain cycling team, clinched his third Tour de France on Sunday and will now be attempting an unprecedented treble as he also plans to take part in both the time trial and road race at the Rio Games. Having won a bronze in the time trial at the 2012 London Olympics, the 31-year-old’s hopes of a gold in Rio were boosted when his chief rival, Dutchman Tom Dumoulin, fractured his wrist during the Tour de France and is a doubt for the Games.
“I think it’s probably harder for him this time. He has to travel out to a completely different continent whereas we came back home, and that is probably more of a challenge for Chris,” Wiggins told British media. Wiggins, who is focusing on the track in Rio, added that his performance at the 2012 Tour de France gave him a clear indication that he was primed for glory in London.