Sun Yang wins 400m gold in Russia; continues pool domination

Sun Yang of China has won the first gold medal of pool swimming at the world championships in Russia. The current Olympic champion won the men's 400-meter freestyle in 3 minutes, 42.58 seconds on Sunday night, his third consecutive world title in the event.

James Guy of Britain was under world-record pace through the first half of the race, but Sun pulled slightly ahead approaching the 350-meter wall. Sun built a bigger lead over the final lap to clinch the victory. He sat on the lane line and clenched both fists in celebration. Guy won the silver medal in 3:43.75 and Ryan Cochrane of Canada took the bronze in 3:44.59.

He courted controversy in 2014 after it emerged he had served a three-month doping ban from the Chinese swimming authorities for taking a banned stimulant. This was his return to competitive swimming.

Having won the 400m and 1500m freestyle Olympic titles at the 2012 London Games, he continued his domination of the endurance events by winning the 400m, 800m and 1500m world titles in Barcelona two years ago.

This is the first of four individual events Sun, the world 1500m freestyle record holder, will race in Kazan as well as the 200m, 800m and the mile distance.