Wang Shun Opens Up About the Challenges of Being 32: “Recovery Can’t Keep Up”

At 32, Chinese swimming veteranWang Shunis still competing at the highest level. But after more than two decades in the pool, the Olympic champion says he has had to confront a reality that comes with age: recovery is no longer what it used to be.

Wang made his fifth Asian Games appearance on September 20 at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, winning bronze in the men's 200-meter individual medley in 1:57.14.

The result was another podium finish for one of China's most experienced swimmers, but Wang's reflections before and after the race revealed a deeper story about competing at an age when many elite swimmers have already retired.

“It’s Not That I Don’t Want to Go Faster”

In a recent interview, Wang explained how his training capacity has changed over the years.

He said that when he was younger, he could maintain more than 90 percent of his training intensity from Monday through Saturday. Now, he can reach that level only about two days a week.

“It’s not that I don’t want to go faster. My recovery can’t keep up,” Wang said.

He described the change as moving from being able to push hard almost every day to having to alternate between hard and easier sessions.

For a swimmer whose career has been built around high-intensity training, the adjustment has not always been easy.

Wang admitted that he once questioned whether he was still suited to an environment in which young athletes constantly emerge.

But over time, he learned to stop fighting the changes that come with age.

“Many of the anxieties are unnecessary,” he said, explaining that he has gradually learned to accept his physical changes while keeping his goals in sight.

Experience Versus Recovery

Wang has competed at five Asian Games, beginning with Guangzhou in 2010 when he was just 16.

He won his first Asian Games gold in the men's 200m individual medley at Jakarta 2018 and successfully defended the title at Hangzhou 2022 with a time of 1:54.62.

Before arriving in Nagoya, Wang had also continued to show strong form. At the 2026 Chinese National Swimming Championships in June, he won the men's 200m individual medley in 1:56.16, extending his championship winning streak in the event to 13 consecutive titles.

But Wang has acknowledged that age brings both advantages and disadvantages.

Experience allows him to understand his opponents better, manage pressure more effectively and make more informed technical adjustments. At the same time, physical recovery becomes increasingly difficult.

His challenge has therefore shifted from simply training harder to finding ways to train smarter.

A Bronze Medal at His Fifth Asian Games

Wang entered the 2026 Asian Games as the defending champion, but the competition proved extremely fast.

Japan's Tomoyu Matsushita won gold in 1:55.30, while compatriot Yuki Kojima took silver in 1:55.36. Wang finished third in 1:57.14.

After the race, Wang said he had expected the event to be difficult, but was surprised by how fast his rivals swam.

“I gave it everything I had and did my best,” he said.

Rather than focusing solely on the result, Wang said he hoped his experience could encourage people facing difficult periods in their own lives.

“Don’t Look Back”

Wang's approach to competition has also changed with age.

When asked whether he is afraid of losing, he acknowledged that every athlete wants to become a champion, but only one person can finish first.

His answer is to focus less on whether younger competitors are catching him and more on pushing his own limits.

“Don’t look back,” Wang said. “Look forward and challenge your own limits.”

That mindset has helped him continue competing alongside swimmers more than a decade younger than him.

The Fire Is Still Burning

Wang has not set a definitive retirement date.

Instead, he has described his future in much simpler terms: as long as the desire to compete remains, he will continue.

When asked how long he plans to swim, Wang said he does not have a fixed answer.

The key, he believes, is whether the “little flame” inside him is still burning.

“If it is, you are forever 18,” Wang said.

At 32, Wang Shun is no longer trying to prove that he can train exactly like he did as a teenager.

His challenge is different now: adapting to a changing body, using decades of experience and finding enough strength to keep moving forward.

The bronze medal in Nagoya may not have matched his previous Asian Games titles, but it added another chapter to a career that began when he was 16.

And for Wang, the story is not over yet.