Well this is sufficiently awkward.
Aussie gold medallist (!!!!!) Mack Horton is currently copping a fair ton of abuse from angry Chinese swimming fans, after he repeatedly called Chinese silver medallist Sun Yang a “drug cheat”.
However, English bloke Mark Horton (no relation) is ALSO copping a fair ton of abuse… from angry Chinese swimming fans after Mack repeatedly called Sun Yang a drug cheat.
@_markhorton sun is a good athlete!AND he is not a drug cheater!so you should apologise to him!
— jessica (@jessica1207zh) August 7, 2016
But in not fairness, only one of them called a Chinese national hero a drug cheat.
“Check out my timeline, the Chinese have been abusing me all day,” Mark tweeted in response to a Guardian article about Mack picking up the gold.
Some users have been @-ing both Hortons, just to be on the safe side:
@_markhorton @_mackhorton Drink your urine if your are so proud of it. It was medicine!!!!!
— Suzi (@suzibin_suzi) August 7, 2016
While others have been deleting their tweets and apologising for mixing up the Hortons.
@_markhorton I should apologize for my carelessness. I have deleted the tweet, and I am really sorry to bother you…
— Gray Wang (@ImgrayedGray) August 7, 2016
Mark was even forced to post a clarification, and has been dutifully tagging everyone who’s mixed the usernames ever since.
For the record I’m not the Australian swimmer who said something about a Chinese swimmer #sunyang
— Mark Horton (@_markhorton) August 7, 2016
He’s also asked Mack to apologise – and not because he cares about Sun Yang, swimming, or doping in general (Sun served a secret three-month ban in 2014 after a positive test, and many swimmers felt he shouldn’t be allowed to compete in the Olympics at all), but because the abuse is clearly hitting his last nerve.
@_mackhorton mate, just apologise! I’m getting abuse for something you said. #SunYang
— Mark Horton (@_markhorton) August 7, 2016
TBH, a Mack apology is not looking likely. He openly said that his comments were a blatant attempt to get under Sun’s skin, and that he has “no time or respect for drug cheats”.
Sun later hit back, answering a question from Channel 7 about whether he’d beat Horton in the 1500m by saying: “I am the king”.
“I am the king!” Sun Yang hits back at the Mack attack! This is shaping up as the rivalry of #Rio2016 https://t.co/NAFePK6em7
— 7Olympics (@7olympics) August 7, 2016
That one, at least, had a happy ending:
Photo: Getty / Quinn Rooney.
