Olympic champion Mack Horton announces retirement from swimming

An iconic Olympic champion has announced he is retiring from swimming, ending hopes of a fairytale finish at the Paris Games.

Mack Horton is retiring from swimming. Picture: Michael Klein

Australian Olympic champion Mack Horton has announced his retirement from swimming six months out from the Paris Games.

The 27-year-old, who won the 400m freestyle in the 2016 Rio Olympics, announced the surprise decision on Sunday with a video tribute on Instagram.

“Grateful for all I’ve experienced, and even more so for those who’ve stood alongside me and made it possible,” he wrote.

“I wouldn’t change a moment. Thank you swimming. Thank you Australia.”

Horton was a prodigal junior swimmer and broke records held by Kieren Perkins and Grant Hackett as he rose through the ranks.

The distance swimmer famously touched out Sun Yang for gold in Rio in 2016, continuing Australia’s incredible legacy of success in the 400m freestyle.

Mack Horton won gold in the 400m free in Rio. Photo: AFP PHOTO / Martin BUREAU

Horton won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in the 4x200m freestyle relay, two silver medals in the 400m freestyle at world championships and a bronze in the 800m and 1500m freestyle.

He also anchored Australia’s 4x200m relay to gold at the 2019 world championships and won four Commonwealth Games gold medals.

Horton, who previously referred to Sun as a drug cheat, made worldwide headlines when he refused to stand on the podium or shake hands with his Chinese rival in protest at the 2019 world titles.

At the Tokyo Olympic trials, he finished third behind Jack McLoughlin and Elijah Winnington and missed out on the chance to defend the gold medal in his pet event.

After the 2021 Olympics, the Victorian parted ways with longtime coach Craig Jackson and moved to the Gold Coast to swim under legendary supercoach Michael Bohl in a bid to rediscover his best form.

Horton has been a stalwart of Australian swimming. Photo: AFP/Martin BUREAU

The famous podium protest in 2019. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The next generation of middle distance swimmers have overtaken Horton, with Winnington and current world champion Sam Short among the fastest in the world over the 400m, 800m and 1500m.

Short won medals in all three events at last year’s world championships.

Only the top two swimmers qualify to compete in each individual event, so the writing was on the wall for Horton ahead of this year’s trials for the Paris Olympics.

Nonetheless, it’s a surprise and disappointment Aussie swimming fans won’t get to see him bid for a fairytale farewell from the sport.