 Sun made improvements in the 2009 season, which began with her winning her first national title with a best of 13.15 seconds.She ran faster (13.12) in the heats at the 11th Chinese National Games, but was not as quick in the final – the more experienced Liu Jing edged Sun into second place.In spite of her defeat in the national competition, she went unbeaten at regional level, winning gold medals at the 2009 Asian Athletics Championships and the East Asian Games.