Sun turns tables on Horton in 400m free
BUDAPEST: China’s Sun Yang destroyed the field to win a hattrick of men’s 400m freestyle titles while American Katie Ledecky reached more milestones in her glittering career as the swimming got under way at the world aquatics championships yesterday.
Sun posted a worldleading time of 3min 41.38sec as he eased to victory by more than a body length over bitter rival Australian Mack Horton.
Horton beat Sun to the Olympic title last year in Rio de Janeiro, with the Australian calling the Chinese a ‘‘drug cheat’’ before the Games in reference to Sun having served a threemonth ban in 2014 after testing positive for a banned stimulant.
Sun said at the time that the stimulant was in medication to treat a heart issue and did not enhance his performance.
In a race billed as ‘‘War on the Water, Part 11’’, the rivalry in the pool failed to materialise yesterday as Sun become only the second swimmer to win a third 400m freestyle world title after Australian Ian Thorpe 14 years ago. Sun (25) looked in ominous form after taking the lead at the 150m mark and, after garnering his eighth world title, he glared at Horton who was racing in lane two after a sluggish morning heat.
The Australian had to settle for silver, 2.47sec behind, with Italian Gabrielle Detti taking bronze.
‘‘I don’t really have a goal in mind for the week,’’ Sun said on the prospect of reaching 10 golds at these championships.
‘‘I’m just going take it race by race and do my best.’’
Horton, who refused to be drawn fully into another postrace controversy, said: ‘‘I think my time stings a little bit more’’.
Thirty minutes later, Ledecky duly bagged the 400m freestyle in another onewoman show of speed and agility.
The 20yearold college swimmer’s championship record time of 3min 58.34sec secured a trio of
world titles as she became the first woman to do so in any discipline.
Leah Smith ensured a United States onetwo, while Li Bingjie, of China, touched for bronze.
Ledecky also helped the US to a brilliant gold in the women’s 4x100m relay — which included a world record for Swede Sarah Sjostrom for the 100m freestyle — as the American quartet ruined Olympic champion Australia’s title defence.
Leading off the Swedes, who finished fifth, Sjostrom posted 51.71sec, smashing the time set by Australian Cate Campbell last year by 0.35sec.
In a frenetic end to the first day, the US regained top honours in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
The quartet of Calaeb Remel Dressel, Townley Haas, Blake Pieroni and Nathan Adrian edged Brazil into second place. — Reuters