Mack Horton
One of Australia's most recognisable Olympians, Mack is known around the world for his integrity, strong values and the courage to stand up for what he believes in.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Mack began competitive swimming at the age of 10 after successfully overcoming his fear of the water.
After meeting Olympic Champion Grant Hackett following his first year of swimming, this Caulfield Grammar junior prospect was inspired to follow in the footsteps of his new idol and threw himself into chasing that dream.
Horton’s potential quickly began to show and caught the eye of Melbourne Vicentre Swimming Club coach Craig Jackson, who is still Mack’s coach to this day.
After breaking his first Australian Age Record at the age of 13, Horton rose through the junior ranks and announced himself as a potential star of the future with 5 Gold Medals and 5 Championship Records at the 2013 World Junior Championships in Dubai.
He progressed to senior ranks after an eye-catching 2014 Australian Championships where he won the 1500m Freestyle, finished second in the 400m Freestyle and set three new junior world records, being named the Georgina Hope Foundation Rising Star of the Australian swim team later that season.
A 2015 World Championship bronze in the 800m Freestyle put Horton on the radar of Aussie swim fans and he headed to the 2016 Rio Olympics with the expectations that come with being a genuine medal chance.
On the first night of the swim meet, Mack swam a classic 400m Freestyle race against Chinese star Sun Yang and touched the wall in first as the stadium erupted. Australia had its first individual Gold of the Games and Horton was an Olympic champion.
A Silver 400m Freestyle medal followed at the 2017 World Championships, with Commonwealth Gold coming in his pet event in 2018. He added to his medal haul collecting Silver at the 2019 World Championships.
During the Australian Swimming Trials in June 2021, Mack qualified for his second Olympics. He was part of the 4x200m freestyle relay team that won bronze in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
In 2022 Mack was part of Australia’s World Championship and Commonwealth Games teams. He won silver medal at the World Championships in the 4 x 200m relay, backing up with a gold in the same event at the Commonwealth Games. He also added an individual bronze in the 200m Freestyle to his tally.
Mack is currently studying a Business/Commerce degree and is looking to combine it with a degree in Architecture.
He gained valuable corporate experience working part-time as an Analyst at the Commonwealth Bank throughout 2019.
Horton is a very keen outdoors man and enjoys hiking, sailing and taking his Land Rover Defender and long term partner Ella Walter for a road trip at every available chance.
He is also very passionate about photography and art & design.
Mack is an ambassador of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and also runs his own mentoring program for aspiring athletes through School Sports Victoria.