If I am reading this right, Swiminfo.com is reporting that Craig Stevens is indeed going to back out of the 400 and leave it up to Australia Swimming to "pick another member of the Olympic Team" to swim that race in Athens. If I am ANY other country, swimmer, the 3rd place finisher at the Trials or an organization interested in ethics, then I am raising a stink on this one!!!! Thorpe DQ'd and the Aussies are going to skirt the rule and get him in anyway. They would be relegated to the status of Ben Johnson, Rosie Ruiz, and the 60+% of MLB who are on steriods! This is FREAKIN' UNBELIEVABLE. I have no respect for any of the aforementioned and if this happens, none for Ian Thorpe and the Australian swim federation (or whatever official name they hide behind) are in that seeming, stinking pile.
I was hoping to see Ian Thorpe attempt to be the first man to win 3 straight 400 Free titiles in the Olympics. But I knew that might not be a possibility because in the last year he has hinted that he just wanted to swim the 100 and 200 Meter Free events. The only other person besides Ian to win two straight 400 Free titles is Murray Rose. I never expected him to retire before 2008 Olympics. I brought back this post from long ago because a lot of people thought that he should not have swam the 400 Free in the first place.
I was hoping to see Ian Thorpe attempt to be the first man to win 3 straight 400 Free titiles in the Olympics. But I knew that might not be a possibility because in the last year he has hinted that he just wanted to swim the 100 and 200 Meter Free events. The only other person besides Ian to win two straight 400 Free titles is Murray Rose. I never expected him to retire before 2008 Olympics. I brought back this post from long ago because a lot of people thought that he should not have swam the 400 Free in the first place.
