Sun Yang pays tribute to Kenneth To after shock death at 26 – ‘may there be no pain in heaven’
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To felt unwell in the locker room after a practice session in Florida, where he had been on a three-month training programme with the Gator Swim Club of the University of Florida. He was taken to hospital where he later died on Monday night.
“Your love and passion for swimming will always be in our hearts, thank you for everything you’ve given to swimming,” Sun posted on his Weibo account.
“May there be no pain in heaven … RIP.”
The 26-year-old To broke 17 Hong Kong records after switching his nationality from Australia to the country of his birth in 2016. He was a world championships silver medallist in 2013 and a Youth Olympics gold medallist.
Olympic swimming champion Sun teamed up with To at the 2017 China National Games in Tianjin where they won silver in a joint relay team for the 4x100 metres. It was Hong Kong’s first swimming medal at the competition since they made their debut in 1997 after the handover.