Canadian swimmer Ryan Cochrane has won silver in the men's 1,500-metre freestyle at the Olympic Games.

The 23-year-old from Victoria held off defending Olympic champion Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia for second place, finishing in 14 minutes 39.63 seconds.

China's Sun Yang won in a world-record time of 14:31.0.

Cochrane earned Canada's second swimming medal of the Games.

Brent Hayden of Mission, B.C., won bronze in the 100-metre freestyle.

Cochrane won a bronze medal in the 1,500 at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

(The Canadian Press)