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Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
SportChina

Sun Yang ‘the Harry Houdini of doping control’: British swimmers criticise Chinese icon – Mack Horton appears to agree

  • British Olympians James Guy and Lizzie Simmonds react to report Sun smashed blood samples with hammer
  • World governing body Fina ‘will not consider further speculation and hearsay’ over the incident

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China’s Sun Yang celebrates after winning the 400m freestyle final at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Photo: Reuters
Nicolas Atkin

Chinese media and fans have decried the blockbuster doping allegations against Sun Yang as “fake news” but it seems some of his fellow Olympic swimmers aren’t so easily convinced.

The 27-year-old – called the “greatest freestyle swimmer of all time” as the only man to win 200m, 400m and 1,500m freestyle Olympic gold – faces a lifetime ban after a report in British newspaper The Sunday Times claimed he and his team smashed vials of blood samples with a hammer in front of anti-doping testers.

“Smashed with a hammer? He cost me a World Title and also my 3rd Olympic Medal. Oh well, life goes on!” British swimmer James Guy tweeted.

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The tweet gathered over a thousand likes and more than 200 retweets – including one from Mack Horton, Sun’s old Olympics nemesis.

Sun and Horton famously clashed at the Rio Olympics, with the Australian tearing into the Chinese star in Brazil after taking his Olympic 400m freestyle title.

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