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Tuesday, February 20, 2001
Born to shine For Hong Zhe Sun, taking up swimming at age 4 was not his choice.
Iolani's swim star heads the field
in this week's state championshipsBy Brandon Lee
Special to the Star-BulletinSince then, however, the 15-year-old Iolani sophomore has grown to love the sport and now shines like no other prep swimmer in the state.
Born in Shanghai, China, Sun was hand-picked to be a swimmer by the Chinese coaches from his district swim committee, based on his physical stature and family background.
At age 4, Sun was enrolled in a school for athletes, where he had swim practices every day in the morning, afternoon and evening, with classes sandwiched in between six days a week.
LOCAL MOTION STATE
SWIMMING AND DIVING
CHAMPIONSHIPSWhere: Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex, University of Hawaii
The training was rigorous, and very much unlike the typical regimen for a youth swimmer in the U.S.
"If (the district coaches) didn't choose me, I don't think I would have chosen to swim competitively," said Sun, who moved to Hawaii with his parents when he was seven. "But I enjoy it and am motivated by it now."
Sun's primary discipline is the backstroke -- he holds the state high school 100-yard record at 49.71 seconds -- but he regularly swims in the butterfly events and is widely recognized as the best all-around swimmer in the state.
"At the young age he's at right now, he's the best I've had," Iolani coach Brian Lee said. "He's blessed with natural ability, a tremendous feel for the water that's hard to teach."
Sun leads the Interscholastic League of Honolulu champion Raiders into this week's Local Motion State Swimming and Diving Championships at Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex as the favorite to capture the boys' team title.
Baldwin is a strong contender as the defending boys' state champion, while for the girls, Punahou enters as the defending state and current ILH champ.
"They're definitely the team to beat," ILH swimming and diving coordinator Jeff Meister said of Iolani's boys title chances.
As for Sun, "Nobody would question that (he's the best),'' Meister said. "He's the best we've seen around here in a long time."Sun says much of his passion for the sport comes from moving to the U.S. and experiencing a training style and mentality that is based more on self motivation. But he says his experiences in both countries have contributed to his success.
"When I was in China, they provided me with the basis," he said. "When I came here, the coaches built on that. They gradually built me into a better swimmer."
Sun has not only become the best swimmer in the state, but one of the very elite in the nation. He is ranked No. 1 nationally in his age group at the 100-meter backstroke, and his times from a non-age-group meet in Alabama last November were good for 27th overall in the world.
Most of the swimmers ahead of Sun in the world rankings are in their 20s. Sun and his parents plan to become U.S. citizens either this year or next. And with plenty of time to develop, he is a strong candidate for the U.S. Olympic team in 2004.
"He has a great work ethic," Lee said. "If he continues to improve, he'll be world-class."
Sun is a well-rounded student-athlete, with a 3.8 grade-point average. He also enjoys playing the trombone in the school's jazz band.
"I'm not that good, in that I'm not where I want to be yet," Sun said.
Despite all the praise and attention, Sun remains humble and driven to improve.
"(His father and I) are happy that Hong is humble," said Sun's mother, Jiafen Chen, who once swam competitively and now acts as his de facto coach. "A lot of athletes become happy with where (they're) at now, maybe don't try to get better."
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