The talismanic Chinese giant bounced back from losing his 400m title to Australian Mack Horton by reeling in fast-starting Le Clos to become the first man to win three of the five Olympic freestyle titles.
Advertisement
“I wish somebody would do something about it”.
The Russian was previously banned from qualifying for Rio but appealed her sentence and gained the right to compete in the week before the Games.
His comments have been echoed by other swimmers including Olympic great Michael Phelps and American breaststroke gold medallist Lilly King. To celebrate the win, Efimova held up her finger signalling a number one, which King was caught mocking behind the scenes. When asked about it, the Australian was unabashed in claiming Sun had tried to splash and taunt him, but that he had “no time or respect for drug cheats”.
“He should have waited until after the Olympics”, she told Channel 7.
‘We have no intention of making an apology’.
The Global Times pointed to Australia’s convict past in an open editorial, also questioning Horton’s relevance and ethics after he called out Yang as a drug cheat.
Horton explained his attitude to the Guardian in the following way: “The last 50m I was thinking about what I said and what would happen if he gets me here – I didn’t have a choice but to beat him”.
Gold medallist Mack Horton of Australia shares an awkward handshake with silver medallist Sun Yang of China after the men’s 400m freestyle final.
Sun copped a three-month ban for testing positive to trimetazidine, a substance normally used to treat angina, in 2014 – however his ban was not announced by Chinese authorities until after it had ended.
“Sun Yang, he pisses purple”.
“The athletes absolutely have a voice, that’s why we have an athletes’ commission on the International Olympic Committee and we encourage our athletes to express themselves as well”. “Will that spur you, make you swim harder in the 1500m, or will it be a distraction, has it added to the pressure this week?” And I didn’t really focus on anything else.
“So what I needed to do is just to be myself and to be a champion”.
“I admit I didn’t pay enough attention to detail and I paid for it”.
‘I have just been focusing on the process and that is what you have to do at times like this’.
The result is sure to fuel simmering tensions between the two rival nations.
Advertisement
Australia’s Mack Horton also taunted Chinese swimmer Sun Yang about his drugs ban in 2014, drawing a furious response from Chinese officials and media.
