Australia’s Mack Horton and China’s Sun Yang will resume their badtempered rivalry in the pool when the swimming section of the world aquatic championships starts on Sunday.
budapest — Australia’s Mack Horton and China’s Sun Yang will resume their bad-tempered rivalry in the pool when the swimming section of the world aquatic championships starts on Sunday.
Horton ended Sun’s four-year domination of the 400m freestyle event in spectacular style at last year’s Rio De Janeiro Olympics after branding Sun a ‘drug cheat’ in the build-up. Sparks are expected to further fly with both also registered to swim over 200m, 800 and 1500m freestyle in Budapest.
“Mack is looking forward to it,” Swimming Australia chief executive Mark Anderson said ahead of Sunday’s opening 400m showdown.
“He’s in good form. Not only in the 400m but the 1500m. There will be great entertainment in both of those races and the swimming world will be watching with interest,” added Anderson with a large dose of understatement.
The 800m freestyle will be an especially intriguing battle with Italy’s long-distance expert Gregorio Paltrinieri also in the mix.
Horton and Sun will be battling to be the fastest from Sunday morning’s 400m heats into the evening’s final and their grudge ‘War in the Water’ rematch will take star billing at Budapest’s Duna Arena.
Hungary’s ‘Iron Lady’ Katinka Hosszu will be out to maintain her grip on the 200m and 400m individual medley events she has dominated in recent years.
Hosszu has entered six individual events, including the 100m backstroke — one of three events in which she won Olympic gold last year — in a punishing schedule, but her priority will be defending her 200m and 400m medley crowns.
Expect fireworks over the longer distance after Hosszu took two seconds off the world record over 400m when she struck Olympic gold in Rio last year. —