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Rio 2016 Olympic Games
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Controversial Olympic swimming champion Sun Yang is making more friends in Rio. Photo: AFP

Sun can’t get a rise: controversial Chinese swimmer fails in attempt to rile rival in Rio warm-up

Chinese swim king hasn’t altered his approach to his competitors after a run-in with a rival during a practice session yesterday

It seems Chinese swim king Sun Yang won’t be altering his abrasive approach to his competitors in the pool in Rio after media reports surfaced claiming Sun attempted to get a rise from Aussie rival Mack Horton during a practice session yesterday.

The 1.98-metre Sun attempted to disrupt Horton’s session by splashing water at him as the pair came together two days before they are set to meet in the 400m event, reports The Age.
Yang is the poster boy of Chinese swimming despite the controversies that have marked his career. Photo: AFP
Sun is no stranger to this type of controversy and most recently was cleared of wrongdoing after a similar poolside altercation with a Brazilian female competitor during a warm-up session on the last day of the world championships in Kazan. Sun later pulled out of the world championships complaining of heart pain.

For his part, 20-year-old Horton, who set the benchmark 400m time earlier this year, refused to rise to Sun’s bait and be ‘lured into any mind games’.

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“Sun Yang was trying to get his (Horton’s) attention but he stayed calm,” said Horton’s coach Craig Jackson after the incident. “Mack is very relaxed and has settled in very well. He’s trained very strongly and we want to make sure the world sees the best of Mack on the night.”

Sun is the favourite to reclaim his 400m and 1500m titles he won in London four years ago.

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