Distance Rivalry Flairs Up In Warm-Up Pool Between Sun Yang and Mack Horton

Sun Yang
Photo Courtesy: R-Sport / MIA Rossiya Segodnya

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With the start of competition in Rio de Janeiro about to start the rivalries are heating up. According to a report by The Sydney Morning Herald distance stars Mack Horton and Sun Yang got in a bit of a spat during warm-ups this morning, when Yang started attempting to distract Horton from his warm-up.

According to the Herald Yang splashed at Horton and continually tried to distract him during training in Rio. The 20-year-old Horton reportedly ignored the taunts and “refused to have the focus shifted off his preparations.”

Horton’s coach Craig Jackson commented that, “Sun Yang was trying to get his attention but he stayed calm. Mack is very relaxed and has settled in very well. He’s trained very strongly and we want to make sure the world sees the best of Mack on the night.”

The two will go head-to-head in the men’s 400 free slated to begin on August 6th, 2016. Horton will look to claim Olympic gold after setting the fastest time for 2016 at a 3:41.65 back in April at the Australian Championships. Yang, currently sitting at second in the world rankings with a 3:43.55, will look to defend his Olympic title.

This is not the first time Yang has been involved in skirmishes in the past few years. The 24-year-old was involved in a car accident in 2013 when he rear-ended a buss while driving a Porsche Cayenne sans license. Matters worsened for Yang when he served a three-month doping ban in 2014.

Read the full report from The Sydney Morning Herald here.

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Tara Rae
7 years ago

Bad sportsmanship from Sun Yang , out psyching your opponent is all part of the game , but there’s a line and Sun acted liked a Dim Sum . That and the fact he got caught doping and was banned from training with any of the Aussie swimmers . Poor show Sun . Swimming doesn’t need idiots like you .

Jeremy Duncan
7 years ago

He’s a cheat – why he is even allowed to compete is beyond me !

Zach Burr
7 years ago

Would love to see a sub 3:40 400 and a sub 14:30 mile these two have beautiful freestyles the future of distance swimming I’m surprised on their two beat kicks though Yang has more closing speed Thorpe and Hackett were the future but both had very explosive kicks I find it incredible that these men are taking 27-30 strokes per length with a two beat kick. Amazing

Andrew Webber
7 years ago
Reply to  Zach Burr

Drugs… For yang anyway, his performance is irrelevant

Larry Bluemel
7 years ago

He has issues.

Monty Whipping Brogan
7 years ago

Ma morsica ?

Tracylee Smith
7 years ago

Chop

James Hooper
7 years ago

He had water splashed at him? I hope he’s OK, the poor guy. ?

Ellie
Ellie
7 years ago

Oh no! he splashed some water on him! call the ambulance! LMAO all you cry babies need to relax. Sun Yang will dominate again with our without drugs, and then you crybabies will find another excuse to bash him lmao

Nothtolose
Nothtolose
7 years ago

It’s fake news.
Sun Yang is always a kind and confident young man.
You reporters have been all along defamed him and tried turn him into some kind of devil.
He is such a talented young man, show come mercy please.
And for all the readers and swim fans here, since we are grown-up men, don’t judge a person easily, coz the media only shows and tell the story the way he wants to reveal. We never know the facts. In most cases it’s out of imagination and exaggeration.
I kindly wish you could see Sun Yang through our eyes. He really is a nice guy.

Barry Lewis
Barry Lewis
7 years ago

Maybe he was just trying to get his attention to wish him good luck?

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