Showdown will have to wait a year

THE next instalment of Mack Horton’s grudge matches with his arch-rival Sun Yang will have to wait at least another year after the Australian missed out on a place in tomorrow night’s 800m freestyle final at the world swimming championships.

While the scandal-tainted Chinese champion edged into the final in eighth spot, Horton failed to advance after qualifying 14th, defusing the prospect of another explosive showdown between swimming’s fiercest rivals.

Queensland’s Jack McLoughlin will now fly the flag for Australia after posting the third-quickest time in the heats, behind Italian race favourite Gregorio Paltrinieri.

“The 800m at the moment is very, very fast so I think it’s going to really step up again,” McLoughlin said.

“Hopefully I will be in the mix there because I think there was a lot of really good people, fast-quality swimmers, who missed out.”

Horton’s absence from the final removes any chance of the Australian staging another silent protest against Sun.

He refused to join Sun on the medal podium after finishing second to his nemesis in Sunday’s 400m final.

Swimming’s world governing body FINA has already warned Horton and Swimming Australia about his conduct at the ceremony, which has been universally hailed as a courageous statement against the scourge of doping in highperformance sport but has plunged swimming into crisis.

While swimmers from other countries gave Horton a standing ovation, FINA took a dim view of his actions.

The Australian is now biting his lip over the issue after he began receiving death threats from Sun’s fans.