Mack Horton Is Copping It From Chinese Fans After His ‘Drug Cheat’ Digs

Before their face-off, Horton flat-out labeled Sun a “drug cheat” in reference to his 2014 ban for using a stimulant. Then, in the post-race press conference – while sitting right next to Sun, mind you – Horton told the press “I used the word ‘drug cheat’ because he tested positive.”

Those so-called “taunts”, combined with footage of the Chinese athlete’s emotional response in the race’s aftermath, have spurred social media users to bombard Horton’s account with calls for him to apologise. 

Oh, there are a fair few calling him a disrespectful so-and-so, too:

@_mackhorton @DellyPhotoNinja pic.twitter.com/1gOa87j0jV

— Veronica_Gan (@veronica919191) August 7, 2016

@_mackhorton #apologizetosunyang ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

— Emilie Zhang (@lovingchrislee) August 7, 2016

@_mackhorton You win the competition, but you lose your moral quality. Your words and behavior really against the spirit of Olympics.

— MFC (@moneyfromcat) August 7, 2016

@DolphinsAUS @_mackhorton @Grant_Hackett Shame on you,you may won the first prize but what you said made you a loser ??

— Rose (@wzx1121) August 7, 2016

The story is much the same over on Horton’s Instagram account:

Many commenters have also referenced the circumstances of Sun’s drug use. At the time, the swimmer claimed the banned substance –  trimetazidine – was a component of heart medication he was taking:

@_mackhorton Ur so disrespectful and RACIST to your competitor! You didn’t even know the truth! Sun has heart issue. #ApologizeToSunYang

— Ted Y. Du (@Teddy_Du) August 7, 2016

Both Horton and Sun will be tackling the 1500-Metre Freestyle heats on Saturday – if Australia’s newest sporting hero didn’t just inadvertently kick off a war with a global superpower. 

Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
Photo: Adam Pretty / Getty.