And he admitted the operation was only carried out after a supporter got in touch with the Australian Olympic swim team via email to raise the alarm.
An eagle-eyed swimming fan has potentially saved the life of Olympic gold medalist Mack Horton after noticing a dangerous mole on the 20-year-old’s chest.
Horton, who won the 400m freestlye at the 2016 Rio Games, posted a picture on his Instagram feed on Friday showing that he had undergone surgery in Melbourne to have a mole removed.
And he admitted the operation was only carried out after a supporter got in touch with the Australian Olympic swim team via email to raise the alarm.
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Mack Horton posted this image of himself on Instagram after having a mole surgically removed following a warning about possible skin cancer from a concerned fan
The mole can be seen clearly on Mack Horton’s upper chest after he won Olympic gold in the 400m freestyle in Rio de Janeiro in August
Back in 2012 at the Australian Olympic trials in Adelaide, swim star Horton’s mole appears to be smaller and lighter
Swimmer Mack Horton celebrates his Olympic gold medal after winning the 400m freestyle final at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro in August
Images of Horton in competition over the past few years appear to show a spot or mole on his upper chest increasing in size and becoming darker.
AFL star Jarryd Roughead is currently undergoing treatment for cancer in his lungs after having melanomas removed from his lip back in 2015.
The Hawthorn forward was receiving regular cancer check-ups when the more serious recurrence was diagnosed in May.
Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, with statistics showing that approximately 66 per cent of people in the country will be diagnosed with the disease by the time they are 70. Around 2,000 Australians die each year from skin cancer.
The majority of skin cancers in Australia are caused by exposure to UV radiation in sunlight.
Olympic gold medalist Mack Horton poses for a photo with girlfriend Ella Walter on the Amalfi Coast in Italy in September
Horton was alerted to the possible danger related to a mole on his chest by an eagle-eyed fan
Mack Horton (centre) receives his Olympic gold medal for the 400m freestyle at the 2016 Games in Rio after beating Chinese arch-rival Sun Yang (left) and Italy’s Gabriel Detti (right)
According to Cancer Council Australia, melanomas are the most deadly form of skin cancer and if left untreated can spread to other parts of the body.
People are advised to check for new spots, which could appear on skin not normally exposed to the sun, and also to monitor existing spots that change colour, size or shape.
The Cancer Council have an ABCD (asymmetry, border, colour, diameter) guide for checking skin spots to help people assess the danger.
Horton’s mole appears far less distinctive in this picture taken in January 2014 at the Aquatic Super Series in Perth
Swim star Horton poses for a selfie with girlfriend Ella Walter during a holiday in Europe earlier this month
Australia’s Olympic gold medal swim star Mack Horton poses with girlfriend Ella Walter
They warn that any spots that increase in size, change in colour from brown to black, become raised or start to itch should be checked by a doctor.
Horton was a rare success story for the Australian swim team at the 2016 Olympics, beating arch-rival Sun Yang in the 400m freestyle final having called out the Chinese swimmer for being a ‘drugs cheat’ before the event.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3858096/Olympic-gold-medallist-Mack-Horton-gets-potentially-life-saving-warning-eagle-eyed-fan.html#ixzz4NqJdniKv
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