Sun Yang Net Worth: Earnings as a Swimmer & Olympics

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Sun Yang and his net worth have proliferated massively since his career in 2012. He is the first competitive swimmer to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming and World Championship gold medals from 200 to 1500 meters at every freestyle in China. 

The 30-year old competitive swimmer, Yang, became one of the most decorated swimmers in Chinese swimming history.

Moreover, in 2017, he was described as “arguably the greatest freestyle swimmer of all time.” 

Sun Yang
Sun Yang has made both name and fame as a competitive swimmer.

Before entering into the plethora of information about Sun Yang’s net worth and his career earnings, here are a few facts about him. 

Sun Yang: Quick Facts 

Full Name Sun Yang
Birth Date December 1, 1991 
Birth Place Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
Age 32 years old
Nationality Chinese
Ethnicity Chinese
Education
  • Zhejiang University
  • Soochow University
  • Shanghai University of Sport
Horoscope Sagittarius
Father’s Name Sun Quanhong
Mother’s Name Yang Ming
Siblings No Siblings
Height 6’6″/1.98 m
Weight 89 kg/196 kg
Build Athletic
Hair Color Black
Eye Color Black
Marital Status N/A
Spouse N/A
Children n/a
Profession Competitive swimmer
Style Freestyle
Coach Denis Cotterell (ex)
Net Worth $10 million
Social Media InstagramTwitter
Merch Swimming Equipment
Last Update April, 2024

Sun Yang Net Worth & Earnings

The world-record-holding competitive swimmer, Sun Yang’s net worth is estimated at $10 million. Regrettably, the exact sum of his earnings is yet to be known.

However, Yang made a handsome sum of money, thanks to his career as a competitive swimmer. 

Thus, let’s look further into his earnings as a swimmer and the titles he has earned so far. 

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Earnings as a Competitive Swimmer 

As mentioned earlier, Sun Yang’s primary source of earning is his professional career as a competitive swimmer. 

The average earning of a competitive swimmer is at least $40,000 per year, excluding his earnings from medals and titles. Therefore, Chinese swimming wonder Sun Yang managed to make a decent amount as an A-lister. 

Sun Yang's net worth
Sun Yang’s net worth continues to grow despite controversies.

Furthermore, nicknamed the underwater meteor, Yang made his career breakthrough in Olympics in 2012. He won the gold medal in his first event, 400-meter freestyle breaking the Olympic record held by Ian Thorpe.

Yang further established himself as the first Chinese male swimmer to win a gold medal at the Olympics. 

Hence, Sun Yang’s three gold medals have earned him millions of dollars since his career debut in 2007. 

Earnings From Brand Endorsement 

Besides competitive swimming, Sun Yang’s other source of income includes brand endorsements. Born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang December 1, 1991, Yang is associated with several brands, which rewarded him several million dollars. 

The competitive swimmer was estimated to earn around $20 million in endorsement deals in 2013 with Coca-Cola among the global brands. Moreover, he was reported to have banked $161 million (a billion yuan) in endorsements managed by Chinese officials. 

According to Yahoo! Sports, Sun Yang was leveled with about $18 million in endorsements. However, as per his contract, one-third of his money was given to the Chinese Swimming Federation.

In addition, the Federation invested in his training and living expenses since childhood which includes the cost of sending him to train with Australian coach Denis Cotterell. 

Thus, having been endorsed by several brands, covering more than ten types of sports, automobiles, mobile phones, insurances, and beverages, Sun Yang’s net worth is massively impacted by the endorsement. 

Sun Yang Net Worth | Cars & Lifestyle 

Before being suspended for doping, Sun Yang managed to earn a monstrous career in the swimming world. Thus, his career helped him live comfortably and buy luxuries. 

Thanks to Sun Yang’s earnings from his swimming career and endorsements, he lives in a luxurious house in China.

Unfortunately, Yang is pretty private about his whereabouts, especially when his career is being threatened after doping allegations. Therefore, there isn’t much about his lifestyle. 

Nevertheless, it isn’t much of a ploy to state that Sun Yang’s home is big enough to practice his swimming. Furthermore, the swimming mogul also travels a lot and probably spends his hard-earned money leisurely on vacations. 

Furthermore, luxury cars are another passion for young millionaires, and Yang is no different. Yang owned Audi A7, which costs anywhere between $57.38-$700,800. 

Likewise, Yang was detained for a week and fined 2,000 yuan ($328) for driving without a license. He had been driving Porsche SUV when it was hit by a bus back in 2013. 

Yang later apologized for the mishap via social media. Despite being infamous for the accidents and doping, Yang still manages to live life to the fullest while doubling his bank account via endorsements. 

Although Yang is one of the most celebrated athletes worldwide, he is very inactive on social media.

Accumulating 20.4k followers on Instagram, the World Record holder 1500 Freestyle, Yang’s Instagram has been frozen since 2014, or he chose to archive them all as he is surrounded with controversies. 

Nonetheless, Yang is enjoying life away from the media approach. 

Sun Yang’s Suspension For Four Years 

As mentioned earlier, competitive swimmer Sun Yang earned over $18 million from his endorsement in 2012. Also, he made almost 94.5 million won per year during the pinnacle of his career.

However, all of it will change as of 2021, as he is suspended for four years. He was initially sentenced to an eight-year suspension from swimming but was reduced to four years in June 2021.

One of the most celebrated athletes, Sun participated in multiple reality shows, which boosted his popularity. However, he was also opting to choose an opportunity to build an ‘all-star’ road. 

Sadly, all opportunities were crushed once the Court of Arbitration for Sports, CAS, announced the suspension. This also caused a series of problems, including commercial endorsement. 

Although facing tough penalization, Sun Yang’s annual endorsement income is $2.46 million. Thus, it wouldn’t be a ruse to say he can still afford a lavish lifestyle despite the halt in his career. 

Apart From Swimming Career 

Chinese competitive swimmer Sun Yang’s earnings are impressive. However, he could easily earn pretty dollars if he chooses to divert his career altogether. 

Yang, besides his athlete abilities and impressive swimming resume, has an imposing educational background. In 2014, he graduated from Zhejiang University with a bachelor’s degree in sports studies. 

Likewise, he attended Soochow University for a master’s degree in physical education. And in 2019, Yang began his Doctor of Philosophy degree in kinesiology at the Shanghai University of Sport. 

Therefore, Sun Yang’s net worth might not be drastically affected even after he chooses to alter his career at one point. 

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Sun Yang | Career Achievements & Titles 

Although Sun Yang’s career has taken off quite well, he was dragged down by four years suspension following the doping allegations. 

Despite the downfall, Yang is determined to come back. Nevertheless, his career achievements, in less than a decade, are uncannily impressive. 

Born in 1991, the Chinese swimming star Sun Yang was born in an athletic family. He started his swimming journey at a young age in 1998, and his potential was soon recognized by a teacher at Jinglun Sports School in Hangzhou. 

Sun Yang's net worth
Sun Yang’s swimming journey started as a young kid.

Furthermore, Yang made his international debut at the 2007 World Championships in Australia. He won his first international, a bronze medal, at the 2009 World Championship.

Similarly, his success hiked during the 2010 Asian Games as he bagged several gold medals in the 1500m and 4x200m freestyle relay. 

Subsequently, Yang was named Rookie of the Year at the 2010 China Central Television Awards. 

Likewise, Yang’s net worth would soon see a significant rise after the Olympics breakthrough in 2012, where he was considered a favorite in the 400m & 1500m freestyle. 

Sun Yang Net Worth | Breakthrough in Olympics & Multiple Championships

After continuous success since his entry into Olympics in 2012, Yang was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency for three months back in May 2014 after testing positive for trimetazidine. 

Following the ban, Yang made a comeback in his first post-suspension event in the 2014 China Spring Nationals and won a gold medal in the 200m freestyle.

Furthermore, in the 2015 World Champions, he won silver in 200m freestyle and gold in the 400m freestyle. 

Sun Yang won his first major international title in the 2016 Summer Olympics as he won the 200m freestyle. Additionally, he became the first Chinese athlete to win a gold medal in this event. 

Likewise, Sun’s success continued his success road regardless of raging controversies. In 2017, Yang competed at the World Championships and won gold in the 200m freestyle. 

Similarly, in 2018, Sun competed in every freestyle event from the 200-1500m freestyle at the Asian Games. He also experienced an out-of-competition test at his home. 

At the 2019 World Championships, Sun Yang finished 2nd but was awarded a gold medal making it his third straight medal. 

Despite the doping allegations and bans, Sun Yang’s net worth has continued rising to date. The three-time Olympic gold medallist and eleven-time world champion, he is the most decorated Chinese swimmer in Chinese history. 

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Trivia 

  1. Sun Yang is known for his work in Burned Wings as a director, producer, and cinematographer. 
  2. A biopic about the controversial Chinese swimming champion, Sun Yang, is set to start production in 2021. 
  3. Sun Yang’s father, Sun Quanhong, was a basketball player for Anhui Tigong, and his mother, Yang Ming, was a volleyball player and currently serves as a sports coach. 
  4. China’s pride, Yang is the only child. 
  5. Yang won Zhejiang Province’s Best Male Athlete of the Year” Award in 2016. 
  6. Sun Yang idolizes Chinese swimmer Zhang Lin, and his sporting philosophy is “You succeed when you believe that you can.” 
  7. Besides swimming, Sun loves music and playing basketball. 

FAQs 

Why is everyone obsessed about Sun Yang’s teeth? 

Sun Yang, although he won two medals in Rio back in 2016, his teeth took center stage. 

Furthermore, Yang’s fans took to social media commenting about his teeth. Some even called him the ‘descendent of the Sharks with those teeth,” while others said he could sell the gold and fix his teeth. 

Regardless of the humor, “dark,” as some would rephrase, the winner is still a winner in the end. 

What happened between Duncan Scott and Sun Yang? 

The rivalry between British swimmer Duncan and Sun Yang is very open. Scott refused to shake hands or even pose for pictures with Yang at the World Aquatics Championships in July 2019. 

While talking to BBC, Scott made it clear that he did not respect Sun as he questioned, “If [Sun] can’t respect our sport, then why should I respect him?” 

Later, a British rival shared his opinion on Yang being barred from the pool. He said that the ban he’s got is deserved. 

Pooja Basnet
Pooja Basnethttps://playersbio.com/
Pooja Basnet! I have been writing for Players Bio for about a year. I am a little too much of an introverted-bookish kind of person who has distinguished music taste *wink* and will write about anything and everything. I am more of a jolly person by nature.

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