Mack Horton has become the target of online trolls just hours after taking the gold medal in the men’s 400 metres freestyle final over comments he made calling Chinese runner up Sun Yang out as a “drug cheat”.
Horton delivered Australia its first gold medal of the Games, swimming his race to perfection to out-touch the defending Olympic champion.
There had been bad blood brewing between Horton and Yang in the build-up to the final, after the Chinese swimmer splashed water in the face of the Victorian during a training session at the Olympic aquatic centre earlier in the week.
At the time Horton said Yang “splashed me to say hello, and I didn’t respond because I don’t have time for drug cheats”.
Yang served a three-month suspension in 2014 after testing positive to a banned substance.
After the race, Horton said he "didn't have a choice" but to beat Yang.
"The last 50 meters I was thinking about what I said and what would happen if he gets me here," he said.
"I used the words drug cheat because he tested positive ... I just have a problem with athletes who have tested positive and are still competing."
Yang defended himself after the race, insisting he had nothing to hide.
"I don't care too much what the Australian athlete says ... I'm clean; I've done everything it takes to prove I'm clean," he said.
But Chinese fans taken the grudge match into their own hands, attacking Horton on his various social media accounts using the hashtag #apologizetosunyan.
"Your parents and whole country should be shame [sic] on what you've said," one user wrote on Instagram.
Another wrote: "You even won the match, but you are still a loser, you don't deserve to have an Olympic gold medal."
Many other spammed Horton's accounts with snake emojis.
Horton has not responded to the comments on his social media accounts.
This story was originally published on ABC News.
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Top Comments
A lot of athletes are concerned about how Sun Yangs penalty for failing a doping test was applied.
He served a very minimal ban (3 months) when a typical period for this offence would be a few years. In Suns defence the drug he was doping with had only just been banned, and it was prescription before that. It's a very similar situation to Sharapovas recent use of Meldronium (prescription drug only recently banned) yet she suffered a 2 year ban.
The Chinese authorities are supposed to follow international standards here, where all countries apply the same type of penalties. I'm unsure why WADA (world anti doping) didn't enforce a longer ban. Positive doping results are also usually very heavily publicised, though apparently not in China!
LiSao, to say someone has served their penalty and therefore they are free to compete isn't quite fair in many athletes minds. Though Suns doping violation isn't in the same basket, use of anabolic steroids for performance advantages (for example), can very much change someone's physicality indefinitely, where they'll always carry that advantage, regardless of them becoming clean later.
Athletes know this, so lifetime "clean" athletes commonly believe doping violations should lead to a lifetime ban.
I think there's a few elements to this situation with Sun which add to the tension. Hometown favouritism in China, lack of real world punishment, the fact he's a bad sport amongst peers, and potentially Horton's belief that cheats should never get a second chance.
To be honest I think the media is blowing this way out of proportion, both Australian and Chinese. At the end of the day this is just two young guys who don't like each other being bratty and trying to have the last word. It isn't new or particularly note worthy. Oh for the days when this could have happened without the input of social media!