Young and ambitious, Mack Horton is a freestyle professional swimmer who knows where he is headed to. Through ups and downs, success and controversies, Mack has given himself the name on the field.
This Australian swimmer is an Olympic gold medallist, World Championships medallist, and Commonwealth Games, medallist.
In the meantime, Horton stands as the foremost male swimmer from the state of Victoria to win gold in the 400m freestyle.
Herewith, let’s dive deeper into his journey but first with a dose of quick facts.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Mackenzie Horton |
| Date of Birth | 25 April 1996 |
| Birth Place | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Nick Name | Mack the Knife |
| Religion | Unknown |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Zodiac Sign | Taurus |
| Age | 28 years old |
| Height | 1.90 meters (6 feet 3 inches) |
| Weight | 88 kg (194 lb) |
| Hair Color | Blonde |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Build | Athletic |
| Father’s Name | Andrew Horton |
| Mother’s Name | Cheryl Horton |
| Siblings | Chad Horton |
| Education |
Caulfield Grammar School – Caulfield Campus (2000–2014)
La Trobe University |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Girlfriend | Ella Walter |
| Kids | None |
| Profession | Swimmer |
| Strokes | Freestyle |
| Club | Melbourne Vicentre |
| Coach | Craig Jackson |
| National Team | Australia |
| Net Worth | $5 million |
| Website | Mack Horton |
| Merch | Swimming Gear |
| Last Update | March, 2025 |
Body Measurements
Mack Horton is a built man with an athletically toned body. Talking about his physical appearance, Horton is a fair-skinned man with blonde hair and mesmerizing blue eyes.
Tall and lanky, Mack towers at the height of 1.90 meters (6 feet 3 inches) while weighing 88 kg (194 lb).
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Workout and Eating Habits
As every athlete is out there bringing the best out of them, they have their own regime to follow up. As for Mack Horton, his day begins at 4:45 a.m. in morning.
Before the start of the day, he munches on eight breakfast biscuits with milk and a tablespoon of raw sugar. It is often followed by his swimming training of six to seven kilometers.
As per the estimation, he has his first half of the training over by 9 a.m. Right after it, he eats two breakfast biscuits with milk and a tablespoon of raw sugar.
Likewise, his lunch is a large serve of leftover swordfish pasta. Then, again, he starts his swimming training, and yet again, it’s for six to seven kilometers.
After long hours of swimming, he gets ready for his gym sessions in the evening. Altogether, he ends his day with Massaman curry and rice.
Mack Horton | Early Life
Mack Horton (fully named Mackenzie Horton) was born on 25 April 1996
Talking about his early days and family, no details have been enclosed on his early days. However, Mack does have a sibling, Chad Horton.
As for education, Mack Horton attended the Caulfield Grammar School.
Following it, he enrolled in the Caulfield Campus and later studied at La Trobe University. Also, he majored in business management.
Mack Horton | Amateur Career
Mack Horton initially appeared in the 2012 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Honolulu.
During his first game, he bagged the gold in the 1500 meter freestyle, while he was second in the 400-meter freestyle and 4th in the 800-meter freestyle.
Two months later, he collected another win for 1500 meter freestyle in the 2012 World Cup in Singapore. Again, the next year, Mack won the 1500 meter freestyle in the 2013 Australian Youth Olympic Festival.
Additionally, Mack Horton has only been collecting victories all along the journey. Not long after, he gathered five gold medals and a silver at the 2013 World Junior Championships in Dubai.
Apart from his individual wins, his team was second behind the British in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay event. Apparently, his team included Regan Leong, Isaac Jones, and Jack McLoughlin.
Well, it’s almost like Mack Horton had pasted his name on every 1500 meter freestyle.
In 2014, he won the 1500 meter freestyle of the 2014 Australian Swimming Championships, while he was second in the 400-meter freestyle and 5th in the 200-meter freestyle.
In the same year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, he gathered silver in 1500 meter freestyle while fourth in the 400-meter freestyle.
Altogether, he ended the year with a silver medal in the 800-meter freestyle at the 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Gold Coast, Australia.
Likewise, he also garnered a bronze medal in the 1500 meter freestyle.
Following Career
In 2016, Mack Horton partook in the Olympics for the first time. Well, he represented Australia in the Summer Olympics, where he won gold in the 400 m freestyle while he was fourth in the 4 × 200-meter freestyle relay.
Moving on, Horton bagged a silver in the 400 m freestyle event at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships. As for his recent work, Mack stood third in the 400-meter freestyle at the Australian Olympic Trials.
For the 2020 Olympics, Mack was part of the Men’s 4 × 200 m freestyle relay squad.
Mack Horton | Awards and Achievements
Talking about his long course activity, Mack Horton maintains his best time record of 1:45.89 for 200-meter freestyle in the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Similarly, his best record for 400 m freestyle is 3:41.55 that he gained at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Likewise, Mack maintains his best record of 800 m freestyle with 7:44.02 at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships. As for his 1500 m freestyle, he maintains a time record of 14:39.54 at the 2016 Australian Championships.
- 2012 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships (gold)
- 2012 World Cup in Singapore (winner)
- 2013 Australian Youth Olympic Festival (gold)
- 2013 World Junior Championships in Dubai (five golds and a silver)
- Winner of Australian Swimming Championships
- 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow (silver)
- 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Gold Coast, Australia (a silver and a bronze)
- Winner of the Georgina Hope Foundation Rising Star of the Australian Swim Team
- 2016 Summer Olympics (gold)
- 2019 World Aquatics Championships (silver)
Injuries
Car Accident
Without a doubt, injuries are the most unwanted friends of athletes. Although they come uninvited, some leave doors with greater opportunity while others leave the door to grave dangers.
Back in 2016, Mack Horton flipped his Land Rover in a single-vehicle accident. Well, it was during the weekend while he was four-wheeling with his friends and hit an embankment that flipped the vehicle he was riding.
As the vehicle flipped, Mack was trapped on the driver’s seat but luckily was freed by his other two friends. Also, it’s good news that his vehicle was stopped by a log that helped him get minimum injuries.
Overall, the Australian national team medical staff examined him and underwent an MRI and CAT scan. Later, it was revealed that he suffered from hairline fractures to his nose and cheekbone.
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Bee Stung
During the training before Commonwealth Games, Mack Horton was stung by a bee on his right arm. Due to the bee sting, Mack’s whole right hand was swollen, which hindered his swimming.
Hence, Mack had to wear thick prescription goggles to compete.
“I got stung by a bee the other day in training, and my whole arm has blown up. My tricep doesn’t exist anymore; my elbow doesn’t exist anymore.”
-Mack Horton
What’s between Mack Horton and Sun Yang?
As we all know, China’s Sun Yang has fallen into doping ban. Initially, he served a three-month doping suspension in 2014 for taking the stimulant trimetazidine.
Later, with the obligations of the World Anti-Doping Code, Sun Yang was previously banned for eight years.
However, the panel later shortened his period of ineligibility of four years and three months commencing from February 28, 2020.
Hence, with that background, Mack Horton refused to share a podium with Sun after the 400m final at the world championships.
It signaled his relationship with Sun Yang to be really bitter as he also refused to pose for photos with his rival. After the race, Horton called Sun a “drug cheat.”
Subsequences
Apparently, before the game, Mack Horton and Sun Yang quarreled by the swimming lane where Sun tried to provoke Mack in a warm-up pool by splashing water and hurling abuse.
As Mack called Sun a cheat, he was surrounded by 680,000 slurs, insults, and death threats on platforms as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the Chinese social media platform Weibo.
Well, this incident not only influenced his way but also created trouble for his family members.
According to his parents, their family home was broken into, broken glass was placed on the bottom of the family pool, and dog feces were hurled over the garden fence. It doesn’t end here, though.
They were also disturbed at night regularly by banging pots and pans. In the meantime, his brother also received numerous threats, and they were all abused online.
Therewith, his parents had to have military security follow them around during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Mack Horton | Net Worth
Mack Horton earns most of his income as a swimmer. Although he has never opened up about the details of his earnings, it is estimated that he has a net worth of around $5 million.
Additionally, in April 2014, Mack stood as the ambassador for Horton’s Heroes Water Polo team (SHWP) with the swimwear brand Speedo. Currently, he is also the ambassador for the Optus brand.
Mack Horton | Personal Life
At present, Mack Horton is in a relationship with his longtime girlfriend, Ella Walter. The duo has been through thick and thins together. In fact, she has been with Mack before he became a household name on the swimming field.
As far as the sources, their story commenced way early to their first days in primary school as fresh-faced five-year-olds. However, they only started hanging out together when they were sixth-grader.
In between, the duo lost contact with each other during their secondary school days; however, they met back in Caulfield Grammar.
But, altogether, they only started dating after the completion of their high school days.
Herewith, when he was on controversial ground with Sun Yang, Ella also faced several impacts with threats and word abuses.
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Social Media
Furthermore, check out his social media sites if you are interested in Mack Horton’s personal uploads and posts. He is on Instagram as Mack Horton (@mackhorton) with 75.4k followers.
Likewise, he is on Twitter as Mack Horton (@_mackhorton) with 16.1k followers.
