A rivalry based on respect

'Hostility' with archrival just a media creation, explains Sun

Chinese swimming star Sun Yang and his South Korean counterpart Park Tae-hwan always appear as hostile rivals in TV commercials and newspaper headlines but in reality they share respect and admiration.

Sun and Park enjoy thunderous cheers when entering the pool and both are routinely mobbed by domestic media and followed by die-hard supporters chanting their names everywhere they go. Their success has attracted a legion of sponsors.