2019 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- All sports: Friday, July 12 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
- Pool swimming: Sunday, July 21 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
- The Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center, Gwangju, Korea
- Meet site
- Competition Schedule
- FinaTV Live Stream
- Entry Lists
- Start Lists
- Results
Following Mack Horton‘s podium protest of his 400 free win on the first night of the 2019 FINA World Championships, Sun Yang responded during his press conference.
“I was aware that the Australian athlete had dissatisfaction and personal feelings towards me,” he said, according to The Independent. “But it was unfortunate because disrespecting me is okay, but disrespecting China was very unfortunate and I felt sorry about that.”
Australia’s Horton, the silver medalist in Sunday’s race Gwangju, protested the gold medalist Sun’s performance by abstaining from podium celebrations, standing behind the platform on the floor during the Chinese national anthem. He also kept an intentional distance between himself, Sun, and third-place finish Gabriele Detti during post-ceremony photo ops.
Their back-and-forth goes back to the Rio Olympic Games in 2016. While competing there, Sun had splashed Horton while in the warm-up pool, with Horton telling the media, “He splashed me to say hi and I ignored him because I don’t have time for drug cheats.”
At the time, Sun responded by accusing Horton of playing mind games to destabilize him. “I don’t think I need to explain myself any further. I have done what it takes to prove I’m clean … all athletes should be shown respect. On the competition stage, every athlete deserves to be respected and there’s no need to use these sorts of cheap tricks to affect each other.”
Sun similarly added on Sunday: “He [Horton] wants to influence my game with such move, but I do what I should do.”
Now, Sun is facing a CAS hearing in September regarding the World Anti-Doping Agency’s appeal case against FINA’s decision not to sanction the world record holder over his blood vial-smashing incident in September.
In pre-meet warmups, the pair were reportedly intentionally given a wide buffer during a warm-up session. Sun and Horton were slated to warm-up right next to one another in lanes 3 and 4 in the practice pool before Sun’s Aussie Coach Denis Cotterell moved the Chinese swimmer to lane 5, according to The South China Morning Post.
“I just won’t share a podium with someone who behaves in the way he does,” Horton said after the race Sunday. He asked Detti to do the same, but the Italian said something to the effect of: “I worked too hard for the bronze, I want the podium.”
When asked about his protest, Horton said: “[Sun’s] actions and I guess how it’s been handled speak louder than anything I’ll ever say.”
Sun also added in his press conference: “I’m very happy to win this event for the fourth time in a row and I’m very proud of myself,” Sun said. “I think this has been the greatest achievement in history for the Chinese team … so I’m very satisfied.”
Sun, 27, and Horton, 23, could go head-to-head again in the 800 free later this week.
getting away with it is not the same as being innocent
If he’s so concerned about China getting respect, why point out that his 400 free win was the “greatest achievement in history for the Chinese team”?
Everyone needs to let the court decide if he deserved this win or not.
If he is found guilty again it will be his SECOND drug suspension.
IMG_3376.JPG
“He splashed me.” People are working hard to make Swimming more visible and then people read nonsense like this. Way to make all swimmers sound like a bunch of wimps.
I kinda feel bad for Sun. I mean he still lives with his mom.
I think we as fans deserve the best athletes science can create. Keep doing you Sun!
I think Mack took many steps to ensure he didn’t respect China actually and only disrespected this awful drug cheat.
On top of his cheating, reports of his behaviour whilst training on the gold coast lead me to believe he is just a pretty terrible person all around.
Unfortunately Australian team is not all clean. I’d be much more interested to hear Mack’s opinion regarding TFH.
What is TFH
Tom Fraser Holmes – Australian swimmer who sat out 3 months for missing 3 drug tests
‘Reports of his behaviourwhilst training on the Gold Coast’ . Hello , it is the Gold Coast where ppl go to run amok . Its not their fault other ppl build awful houses there & attempt to live out their boring suburban lives . The ppl want to have fun .
I’ve heard stories of him being nasty to young age groupers who admired him.
Just stories, but I mean it all seems to fit with smashing vials with hammers.
Just stories . Did they speak Mandarin or know how to behave around a sports star & or a male stranger? Like the kid who shoved a ball into Megan Rapinoe’ s face just as an award was being commenced . She was criticised for not pandering but it was he who invaded her space .