Chinese giant Sun Yang came into the Asian Games with the reputation as a one-man wrecking crew and left savouring his redemption -- and in tears at his own achievements.
The three-times Olympic champion barely broke sweat in scooping four individual gold medals from 200 metres freestyle up to the 1,500m in Jakarta, screamed on by an army of flag-waving cheergirls who had made the trip from China.
Sun sparked controversy at the last Asian Games in 2014 by sneering at the Japanese national anthem after being upset by Kosuke Hagino in the 200m.
Four years older and wiser at 26, swimming's enfant terrible showed his softer side, bursting into tears after Friday's 1,500m victory.
"I didn't train or swim the distance at big competitions since 2014," sobbed the Chinese superstar.
"It means to much to me that all the hard work has paid off. It's a huge boost for me."
"Hagino is a cool guy, an inspiration to me. But I need to raise my level for the Tokyo Olympics -- whether it's the 200m, 400m, 800m or even the 1,500m. I'll have to work 200 percent or even 300 percent harder."
"The battle with Japan doesn't end here," he added. "We'll meet again next year (at the world championships) and in 2020."
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"I tried to take on more events to try and be a role model."
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