Swimmer Mack Horton says he won’t ease strong stance on drug cheat

MACK Horton says he would have no hesitation in calling out cheats again if athletes were found to have brought drugs into the Games village.

MACK Horton says he would have no hesitation in calling out cheats again if athletes were found to have brought drugs into the Games village.

Olympic champion Horton famously called out China’s Sun Yang ahead of their 400m clash at the Rio Games, saying he had no “time or respect for drug cheats”.

And while he hopes the Gold Coast Games will be clean, Horton said he would not tone down his comments if any athlete was caught cheating.

The Aussie swimmer’s comments came as urgent lab tests were being conducted on syringes found in the athletes’ village.

BASKETBALL: Trophy-hunter Goulding sets sights on gold

Mack Horton will again speak out against drug cheats if required.

The revelations stunned the Australian swim team at their media conference on Sunday, with Horton saying the news had not penetrated the “bubble” the athletes had existed in since their arrival from a Brisbane training camp on Saturday.

“That’s the first I’ve heard about it. We are in a bit of a bubble in the village and don’t really hear what’s going on, on the outside,” Horton said.

“But I hope it is a clean Games.”

Horton beat Sun in the 400m in Rio but after his comments was pilloried constantly by thousands of Chinese fans on social media, who backed Sun despite the Olympic champion having served a secret three-month suspension in 2014 after testing positive to a banned medication.

Horton spoke to media on Sunday ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

Despite the reaction – which continues to this day on his social media channels - Horton said he would not tone down his comments against drug cheats.

“Not at all. I don’t think I’d change a thing. I guess I’m proud of how I handled myself in Rio,” he said.

While he was initially reticent to comment on the village issue given he did not know the details, he confirmed he would not tone down his attitude to cheats.

“I think athletes know what they’re doing,” he said.

“And they know that they’re responsible for what goes in their body.

Horton spoke out against rival and convicted drug cheat Yang Sun.

“So if they’re caught cheating or they are cheating, it’s completely their fault.”

Australian swimming head coach Jacco Verhaeren said the team had not heard about the syringe scandal.

“If that’s happened it’s disappointing but it’s the first time I’ve heard about it,” Verhaeren said on Sunday.

Verhaeren said he did not have concerns about whether the Games would be clean.

“This is concerning information, obviously, but definitely from our point of view, we’re looking at a very clean team and hopefully a very clean Games as well.

“But it would be naïve to think that it wouldn’t happen at all but it’s definitely not front and centre of our minds that we’re having to deal with cheaters here.”

Originally published as Swimmer Mack Horton says he won’t ease strong stance on drug cheat