Mack Horton Is COPPING It On Social Media For His Sledge

(Image: Getty)

Young Aussie swimmer Mack Horton is making a serious name for himself at the Rio Olympics.

He won Australia our first gold in the pool, taking out the 400m freestyle.

He then SAVAGED his Chinese rival Sun Yang, calling him out as a drug cheat in reference to Yang’s three month doping ban in 2014.

"It’s definitely a win for the good guys," he told Channel 7 after the race.

"I don't know if it's a rivalry between me and him, just me and athletes who have tested positive."

Naturally the sledge has riled up social media, and Horton has since been copping a rinsing from all corners (although mostly from China).

The hashtag #apologizetosunyang has copped a workout on both Instagram and Twitter.

Some others blamed the media for beating up Yang’s charges:

And others just attacked Horton’s character.

We tend to think that Horton won’t be losing too much sleep over it, given he has a gold medal to comfort him.