Brazilian swimmer Joao de Lucca would not shake hands. Australian Mack Horton and British Duncan Scott refused to share the podium with Sun. Sun Yang won in the 200 and 400 meters freestyle. In 2014 he was handed a three-month suspension. Last year he reportedly destroyed urine samples before a race.
Guangju (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Chinese swimmer Sun Yang, freestyle champion, continues to be shunned by fellow athletes because he is suspected of doping. This morning, Sun participated in the elimination rounds for men's 4x200 freestyle. At the end of the race - in which China qualified in fifth place - Sun reached out to shake hands with Brazilian swimmer Joao de Lucca, who sat by the pool. After looking at him, he stood up and refused to shake his hand (see photo).
Sun has already won gold in the 400 and 200 freestyle at the water sports world championships in Guangju. But his performances are obscured by suspicions: he would have destroyed some urine samples last year, before a non-competitive race.
In 2014, Sun suffered a three-month suspension for being positive for trimetazidine, a sports-banned stimulant. Sun had justified himself by saying that he needed it for heart problems.
In recent days, at the awards ceremonies for the 200 and 400 meter freestyle, in which Sun won the gold, two other swimmers, the Australian Mack Horton and the British Duncan Scott, refused to share th epodium with Sun on the podium for photos.
Horton and Scott were admonished by Fina for their behavior. But various swimmers have shown support for Horton and Scott's gesture. For his part, Sun said he was "aware of some rumors" about him, and promised to put "every effort into my swimming".