Ian Thorpe, a near-certainty for gold medal over 400m at the Athens Olympics, will have to watch the race from the sidelines.
World record-holder Thorpe, who has dominated the freestyle distance since 1998 and has broken the world record five times, will not be allowed to compete in the 400m after being disqualified in a qualifying heat yesterday.
Thorpe fell off the starting blocks at the Sydney International Aquatic Center on Saturday morning on the first day of the eight-day Australian titles. He said he heard a noise, disrupting his concentration.
But Thorpe's appeal to Australian Swimming officials was later dismissed. Under Australia's strict qualification policy, only the two fastest swimmers in each race final qualify for the Olympics.
Thorpe, 21, appeared to overbalance on the blocks and fell into the water before the official start of his heat. He then got out of the pool and returned to the blocks with the rest of the competitors.
But meet referee John Keppie walked over to Thorpe's No. 4 block and disqualified him, surprising the small crowd at the center. Thorpe appeared stunned as he walked off the pool deck.
Thorpe's disqualification in the 400m, and his decision not to contest individual medley events at Athens, means he will only likely race in the 100m and 200m freestyle events and three relays.
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) said it had no power to intervene, saying the selection criteria by Australian Swimming was ``clear-cut.''
Australian Swimming chief executive Glenn Tasker announced the jury's findings.
"It is our determination that the referee's decision is correct ... the protest is dismissed, so Ian's disqualification stands," said Tasker.
Thorpe's manager David Flaskas said Thorpe felt the competitors had been kept on the blocks too long.
"Ian thought they were held a bit too long and he heard a noise, the audiovisual does not show that noise, so evidence-wise it is a bit difficult," Flaskas said.
Flaskas said Thorpe was trying to come to grips with his disqualification.
"He has not said a lot, he is disappointed and absorbing it all at the moment and we cannot dwell on it.''
Thorpe's next major swim is Monday in the 200m freestyle, where he is also world record holder. He also holds the world record in the 800m, a non-Olympic event.
Thorpe has dominated world 400m freestyle swimming since becoming the youngest male world champion in the pool as a 15-year-old at the 1998 Perth titles.
He's held the world record over eight laps since August, 1999, where he first set it at the Pan Pacific championships in the same pool in Sydney.
Thorpe has since broken the 400m world record another four times, the last time at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games where he finished in 3 minutes, 40.08 seconds.
Grant Hackett, the world 1,500m world record holder and defending Olympic champion, qualified fastest in the 400 after Thorpe was disqualified and won Saturday night's final in 3:43.35 -- three second outside Thorpe's world mark.
"You're talking about one of the greatest athletes in history here and this is his pet event," Hackett said after qualifying. "He must be just hurting."
Hackett praised Thorpe's sportsmanship.
"He didn't throw any chairs. He didn't get upset. He just quietly took himself behind the barriers."
Hackett called for a change in swimming's one-start rule.
"You can get up on the block be a little bit dizzy, not feel quite right," said Hackett. "There should be a two-start rule. It's ridiculous that there's not."
The one-start rule was brought in by world swimming governing body FINA in 1998.
"I've been surprised at how well it has worked over a period of time, [but] it has bitten us today," said Australian Swimming president John Devitt.
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