Ian Thorpe not competing for 400m Freestyle

Ian Thorpe hasn’t been beaten in the 400m freestyle for the past two Commonwealth Games, and even in the Sydney and Athens Olympics. He was forced to withdraw from the Games due to illness, Tuesday of last week.

The 2 notable absentees in the Australian Team for the Swimming event are Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett. It is such a shame to lose the country’s best bet however, it’s also an avenue for some potential stars to rise up and create a huge splash in the sport.

This puts pressure on the Women’s team to perform really well to bring home the gold for the country. So be on the look out for Jodie Henry, Giaan Rooney and Shayne Reese. The Men’s team will not be as strong as the women but are still expected to give a good performance.

Read more about it here and check out a related article by Scott Goldblatt over at Timed Finals.