Australian Olympic gold medallist Mack Horton has thanked an anonymous fan who noticed a mole on his chest and emailed his team.
Horton, 20, after having the mole removed from his chest.
“Shout out to the person that emailed the swim team doctor and told me to get my mole checked out,” he stated.
“Good call. Very good call.”
He wore a bandage on his chest but gave the camera a thumbs up in the photo.
Moles that look different to others or appear after the age of 25 should be checked by a doctor, The Cancer Council recommends on its website.
Horton, from Malvern, Victoria, won Australia’s first swimming medal at the Rio Olympics with victory in the men’s 400 metres freestyle final.
He later became the target of online trolls over comments he made calling Chinese runner up Sun Yang a “drug cheat”.
Moles: When to see a doctor
- New moles
- Moles that increases in size
- An outline of a mole that becomes notched
- A spot that changes colour from brown to black or is varied
- A spot that becomes raised or develops a lump within it
- The surface of a mole becoming rough, scaly or ulcerated
- Moles that itch or tingle
- Moles that bleed or weep
- Spots that look different from the others
This post originally appeared on ABC News.
