In a pre-meet press conference on Friday at the 2017 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Australian swimmer Mack Horton renewed the war of words against Sun Yang that flared up last year’s Olympic Games.
”I don’t know if it’s a rivalry,” Horton said when asked about his competition with Sun. “I think it’s a rivalry between clean athletes and athletes who’ve tested positive.”
Mack Horton (middle) speaks at a Swimming Australia press conference on Friday in Budapest. Courtesy: Daniela Kapser
At the Rio Olympics last summer, Sun allegedly splashed Horton during a pre-meet warmup session. Horton responded that “I don’t have time for drug cheats,” which began a heated media battle between the pair, and their fans, for the duration of the meet.
In the pair’s first competition of the Olympics, Horton won the 400 free in 3:41.55 with Sun, in the lane next to him, placing 2nd in 3:41.68. Later in the meet, Sun won gold in the 200 free, that Horton didn’t compete in; in the 1500, Sun finished 16th in prelims to miss the final, while Horton took 5th.
Sun served a three month doping ban in 2014 after serving a positive test for the banned substance Trimetazidine. Sun maintains that he was taking the substance to treat a heart condition, and the test and suspension weren’t announced until after it was served.
The two will again first see each other in the 400 free – the second event of the meet. Individually, Sun will also swim the 200 free, 800 free, and 1500 free. Horton will swim the same 4 events – expanding his range down to the 200 free this year. That means the two could go head-to-head in at least 4 individual finals, plus at least the 800 free relay final as well.
Doping agencies recognized their own mistake by dropping trimetazidine off the list of banned stimulant. Some people are just too slow to catch up.
I’m sure swimvortex will be very excited with this one.
Without a doubt; although perhaps he should be more concentrated on WHY he has lost 98% of his readership. Too many polemics rehashing the same old screeds ……. and hopping on the “horse goin’ nowhere” (his blinkered boostering of that huckster Leonard) has seen off most rational former readers/commenters
Sure. It’s so difficult to catch useful information in the long and verbose articles. I’m tired of reading the same sentences again and again to the point where I can memorize them.
I stopped reading swimvortex for this very reason. It’s all about bashing Yang over there. The owner of the site has it out for Yang for years now and has no clue about the facts of Yang’s case.
I honestly dislike that site because of the annoyingly pretentious article titles. I don’t even know what he’s trying to say half the time.
We all hate cheaters and I am all for taking the harshest actions on any cheating in pool. The medicine Sun took is not a banned medicine any more and now is considered as legal. I don’t think it is great sportsmanship to continue to call your opponent ‘cheater’, if you knew he didn’t.
I think it is completely banned now , after being allowed ( as per usual) under a TUE for 2014-15 . Prior to that anyone could take it & Sun in fact did us a favour .
WADA gave Sharipova a 2 year ban ( CAS reduced to 15 mths) when she admitted the error yet let this go uncommented on . That leads me to think there must have been many such discrepancies handled domestically .
I think it,s not banned or unbanned . I read it somewhere a while back. Seems like the docs say it doesnt help performace at all. So it seems Sun yang is all talent. But I doubt he, s still using it now since he has let go of the longer races.
Nobody wants to have a heart attack while racing many laps without medication.
And for the love of GOD, can’t chinese athletes get a TUE and take banned substances?
It seems only European and US athlete get the go ahead to take banned substances via TUE.
I only read that info on SwSw comment. You or I are not the only ones not finding the TUE credible . Bonafide Australian medical reseaarchers have been trying to get the Aust list for several years which ought be available under FOI as it’s Govt data . Without names , they just wanted the med & the sport because it really is med knowledge that is denied to them only because sport .
Notwithstanding a full political fight in 2013 around Drugs in sport – untested tho not illicit compounds & precursor use .it was nothing short of an attempted coup trying to get customs & LEO status to ASDA / WADA.
Parallel to this is the… Read more »
Mack has been stuck on his pbs – excellent as they are – for a few years now . He swam a 1.45 leg as a junior in 13 & maybe got near that in the medal less Rio relay & then collapsed in the 1500 due to thus exertion . ( his statement)
There is a lot of physical growth since 2013 & highly likely transitional phase still , but he has definitely lost the speed factor . Denis Cotterill compared him to Hackett at similar age but said Mack had natural speed . He’ll have to find it if he is to win but how likely is it within this huge program?
Thorpe did it in… Read more »
More should be like Horton – spit in their lanes. Call them cheats every chance you can – by not doing one actually makes the cheating more possible and ‘ok’ … I competed against the East German drug armada, and we utterly failed to expose them. Can’t make the same mistakes over and over…
Old Swimmer, I back your post completely.
Horton has been shaky after Rio. The real challengers to Sun might be Detti and Grothe.
Shakey???? In what way?
His 400M times have been all over place recently, from 3:44 to 3:54. Other swimmers, Sun, Detti, even Grothe, are much more consistent.
There is actually some real credence to Bob’s statement. Horton may’ve swam a 3.44 at AUS Trials but he was exceedingly pedestrian in Europe. Whilst I would not be expecting blistering times, swimming north of 3.50 isn’t exactly 100% confidence inspiring. He’s generally been at least higher 3.40s in season.
He has, of course, to be respected as a real factor but others have been looking sharper in more recent times
Horton has been shaky after Rio. Detti and Grothe might be the real challengers to Sun.
Grothe?
Detti and Park are real challengers, but I think Yang will win this one.
I remember Sun Yang just splashed to say Hello tho, not so allegedly