China’s Sun wins record 4th straight 400 free at worlds

GWANGJU, South Korea (AP) — China’s Sun Yang won a record fourth consecutive 400-meter freestyle title in the first final of the world swimming championships, with rival Mack Horton of Australia rallying to finish second.

Sun worked his way from fifth to first and then easily kept Horton at bay over the last lap Sunday night.

Sun touched first in 3 minutes, 42.44 seconds. Horton took silver in 2:43.17, while Gabriele Detti of Italy earned bronze in 3:43.23.

The Chinese star won his other 400 free titles in 2013, 2015 and 2017.

Sun’s presence at the world meet has drawn the ire of some swimmers, including Horton. The Aussie is the only swimmer to beat Sun in the last eight years, taking gold in the 400 free at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. That’s when Horton called Sun a “drug cheat” for his three-month doping suspension in 2014.

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