Ian Thorpe Cleared to Defend Olympic 400m Freestyle Title

SYDNEY, 16 April 2004 — Ian Thorpe has been cleared to defend his 400 meters freestyle at the Athens Olympics when, as expected, his Australian teammate Craig Stevens pulls out of the event.

Stevens has still not made a final decision but Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) president John Coates said an announcement was expected within days.

“People acting on behalf of Craig have been doing the rounds to sell the story over the last week,” Coates said. “So we do anticipate he’s going to withdraw.” Coates’ remarks followed an AOC announcement that Thorpe, the 400m world record holder, would automatically replace Stevens on his withdrawal.

Thorpe was disqualified at last month’s Olympic qualifiers when he lost his balance and fell in the water before his heat. The 21-year-old appealed and lost but a loophole was discovered allowing Stevens to stand aside for him.

However, the AOC was concerned about any possible legal challenges so sought clarification that Thorpe would be allowed to replace Stevens ahead of Josh Krogh, who finished third behind Grant Hackett and Stevens at the trials.

Alan Sullivan, one of two barristers who looked at the case, released his findings yesterday, saying: “In my opinion it is Mr. Thorpe and not Mr. Krogh or any other swimmer who satisfies the nomination criteria.”

Krogh, a training partner of Stevens at the Australian Institute of Sport, said he would not challenge the ruling. The removal of the last legal hurdle, paves the way for Thorpe to defend his 400m title in Athens and end the saga that has captivated Australia for the past month. Stevens took a week off after last month’s Australian championships to consider his options but speculation about his plans intensified when it was revealed he had hired a management team to handle his affairs as local television networks and magazines fight for exclusive rights to his story.

While opinion on Stevens has been divided, with some urging him to swim the event, most always expected he would pull out of the 400m and concentrate on the 1,500m, his speciality distance.