Chinese fans demand apology from Australian swimmer after 'taunting'

Chinese swimmer Sun Yang didn’t take his loss in Saturday’s 400m freestyle very well, bursting into tears in front of reporters at the aquatics center down in Rio de Janeiro.

Sun’s fans didn’t take it particularly well, either, taking to the social media accounts of gold medalist Mack Horton and charging the 20-year-old Australian swimmer with “taunting,” “mind tricks” and poor sportsmanship.

At issue: Horton labeled Sun a “drug cheat’ in the runup to the race, a reference to the three-month ban that Sun served in 2014 after testing positive for a stimulant. Horton doubled down on the comments after out-touching silver medalist Sun — who won gold in both the 400m and 1,500m freestyle at the 2012 London Games — in the thrilling race.

“I used the word ‘drug cheat’ because he tested positive,” Horton told reporters after winning the race. “I just have a problem with him testing positive and still competing.”

Sun took issue with the comments after composing himself.

“On the competition stage, every athlete deserves to be respected and there’s no need to use these sort of cheap tricks to affect each other,” he told reporters.

Horton admitted that the pre-race comments were an attempt to put Sun off-balance and they apparently worked. But Sun isn’t completely innocent when it comes to mind games and poor sportsmanship. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Sun splashed and tried to distract Horton during Thursday’s practice sessions.

Sun was also accused of kicking and elbowing a female swimmer at last year’s world championships.

None of that deterred Sun’s fans from aiming their anger toward Horton on Twitter and Facebook:

Indeed, go over to Horton’s Twitter and Facebook page and you’ll see more condemnations from Chinese fans than congratulations from Australian fans.

The good news is that both swimmers were apparently able to put the issue behind them for the medal ceremony, shaking hands without incident. They are scheduled to compete against each other once more in Friday’s 1,500m freestyle, though both the Associated Press and Sports Illustrated project Italy’s Gregoria Paltrinieri to win the race. (AP has Sun winning silver and Horton not medaling; SI has Horton winning silver and Sun finishing out of the money.)