Rio 2016: China demands apology from Mack Horton over 'malicious attack' on Sun Yang
Updated about 4 hours ago
PHOTO: Mack Horton and Sun Yang will face off again in the 1500m finals on Sunday. (AP/Reuters)
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MAP: BrazilHorton was the target of online abuse just hours after taking home the gold medal in the men's 400m freestyle final over comments he made calling Chinese runner-up Sun Yang a "drug cheat".
The Chinese swim team issued a statement, calling Horton's claims a "malicious personal attack" on Yang.
"We have been noticing what has been said in the past two days by Horton, who launched a malicious personal attack [on Chinese swimmers]," team manager Xu Qi told China's state-run Xinhua news agency.
"We think his inappropriate words greatly hurt the feelings between Chinese and Australian swimmers. It is proof of a lack of good manners and upbringing.
"We strongly demand an apology from this swimmer."
Yang fired shots back at Horton a day after the Australian's gold medal-winning swim.
When asked if he would beat Horton in the 1,500m, Yang told Channel 7: "In 1,500m I am the king."
Horton and Yang will face off again in the men's 1,500m freestyle event on Sunday.
'Mack can speak his mind': AOC
Standing behind their swimmer, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) issued a statement defending the 20-year-old.
"Mack is entitled to express his point of view," the statement said.
"
Under the team values, [summed up by the acronym] ASPIRE, the 'E' stands for express yourself; that is his right.
"He has spoken out in support of clean athletes. This is something he feels strongly about and good luck to him."
Get to know Mack Horton
Mackenzie 'Mack' Horton has scored Australia's first gold medal win of the Rio Olympics, storming home to win the 400m freestyle on the Games' opening day. Here's five facts about the 20-year-old from Malvern, Victoria that you might not know.
There had been bad blood brewing between Horton and Yang in the build-up to the 400m freestyle 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 winning the 400m final, Horton said he had a "problem" with athletes who had tested positive but were still competing.
Yang was quick to defend himself.
"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.
Some of Yang's rivals in Rio have suggested he should not have been allowed to defend his gold medals in the 400 and 1,500m from the 2012 London Olympics.
Canada's Ryan Cochrane said: "For an athlete that's clean it's really frustrating. Once the Games are over, we'll all look back and wish this was handled better."
Yang, who returned to the pool on Sunday to post the quickest time in the 200m freestyle heats, refused to take the criticism lying down, saying: "I don't think we need to concern ourselves with the Australian's mind tricks."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-...m-mack-horton-over-attack-on-sun-yang/7699644
