Sun Yang, China's world-record-holding swimmer, claimed the men's 200 meters freestyle title at the 17th FINA World Championships in Budapest on Tuesday, July 25, 2017.

He clocked 1 minute, 44.39 seconds, having won the men's 400 meters freestyle title on Sunday. Sun also took the gold in the men's 200m freestyle at the Rio Olympics last year, with a final time of 1 minute and 44.65 seconds.

Born in 1991, Sun is not young as a swimming athlete, but he won the championship, so what makes a world champion? Learning from not only Sun Yang, also Kobe Bean Bryant, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Roger Federer, Serena Jameka Williams etc., we can get some answers as following:

1) Aim
“Every French soldier carries a marshal\'s baton in his knapsack”, as Napoléon Bonaparte said, every championship winner has his aim one after one before he becomes the No. 1, to guide and drive him or her to go forward.

"I'm already in the ranks of the top swimmers, and now working hard to be a great athlete," said Sun Yang in the interview before the 17th FINA World Championships. With this goal, he spares no efforts in the competition.

2) Practice
Practice makes perfect. No one was born to be a winner and even genius should learn to conquer his world, while practices is the only way to step to the top of the mountain that you want to conquer. Kobe ever said he got up as early as 4 am to practice, and that’s why he could do it better. Kobe’s philosophy makes himself a real genius except for his talent. 3) Persistence
When you ask any champion whether he or she was smooth on the way to success, it’s supposed that no one would answer you “yes, I’m lucky enough to be smooth.” However, what makes them stick to their career and endure the hardships? That’s the personality-PERSISTENCE.

Xu Jiayu, who won China’s 1st 100 backstroke world champs ever, said in the post-race interview in 17th FINA World Championships, “My everyday is hard, but I carry on.” He said training was tired, and sometimes while he was training in water, he have to come out to vomit several times and then go back to swim. It’s his persistence that sends him to the top position of Men’s 100m backstroke. 4) Love
Interest is the best teacher. When you love to do something, you’re like to do it good; while when you hate to do something, you’re sure to do it worse. Every world champion regards his career as his lover, and the love support him to go forward without hesitation.

Pele, the greatest football player of all time, ever told the public it’s his love for football that makes him the success in football play. No one would deny his love and passion’s role in their success in his career. There’re many other factors that make a world champion: endurance, confidence, ambition, etc. We are not able to tell whether a child will be a champion of certain fields in the future, but we can cultivate their spirit to prepare for any championship now.

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