Fan warns swim star Mack Horton of potentially deadly cancer

Olympic gold medallist Mack Horton has revealed how a fan saved him from a potentially deadly cancer.

A concerned fan emailed the Australian swim team to tell Horton he should get a mole on his chest checked out by a doctor.

Horton said the suggestion turned out to be a "very good call," and the swimmer had the mole removed yesterday in Melbourne.

Olympic gold medallist Mack Horton has revealed how a fan saved him from a potentially deadly cancer.

A concerned fan emailed the Australian swim team to tell Horton he should get a mole on his chest checked out by a doctor.

Horton said the suggestion turned out to be a "very good call," and the swimmer had the mole removed yesterday in Melbourne.

On his Instagram page the 400m gold medal winner thanked the anonymous fan who sounded the alarm.



Horton, who rose to stardom during the Rio Games for both his performance in the pool and for his outspoken comments on Chinese swimmer Sun Yang, is not expected to miss any competition.

He is likely to swim at next month’s national short-course championships in Brisbane.

Australia has the highest rate of melanoma in the world, with one person dying every six hours.

One in 14 men and one in 24 women will be diagnosed with melanoma at some time in their life.