Facing China’s Sun Yang for Olympic gold ‘would’ve been cool’, Australia’s Sam Short says
- Targeting podium two years after cancer diagnosis, Short is confident Games will not be tainted by controversy surrounding Chinese swimmers
Australian swimmer Sam Short is chasing glory at the Paris Olympics only two years after a skin cancer diagnosis, but said he would have welcomed the opportunity to take on China’s controversial Sun Yang.
Triple gold will be the target for Short, 20, when he competes in the 400, 800 and 1500 metres freestyle at the Games, whereas Sun, the 1500m world record-holder, will not be present despite his second career ban for doping-related violations ending in May.
Sun was previously labelled a “drug cheat” by Short’s compatriot Mack Horton, the 2016 Olympic 400m champion, who famously refused to share a podium with his Chinese rival at the 2019 world championships. Short, though, said he would have relished a showdown in the Paris pool.
“I watched [Sun] in 2012 and 2016, he was always the villain,” Short told the Post. “It would’ve been cool if he could swim. He had some epic battles with Mack Horton.
“He’s a bit old now, so might have struggled, but there are so many other good athletes and it will be an awesome spectacle.”
Short said he was confident that swimming events would not be tainted when the Games begin in two weeks’ time, after revelations that 23 Chinese swimmers were cleared to compete before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 following failed drugs tests.
