Only hours after five-time Olympic champion Thorpe failed to progress through the heats of the 100-meter freestyle, his last chance for a spot on the Australian squad for London, Rice completed a sweep of the women’s medleys by winning the 200 to ensure she would defend both her 200 and 400 individual Olympic titles from Beijing.
“I don’t regret giving this a go,” Thorpe said. “Compared to how I’ve raced before, how I’ve competed and the success that I’ve had, this does look like doom ... But I’m glad I was willing to put myself out there to give this a shot.”
Thorpe retired in 2006 as the reigning 200 and 400 Olympic champion, and missed the Beijing Olympics where Rice won both individual medleys and was part of the winning 4x200 freestyle relay team — all in world record time.
She was the first Australian swimmer to secure a spot at London 2012, too, when she won the 400 IM last week. Despite persistent pain in her right shoulder, she held of world championship silver medalist Alicia Coutts to win the 200 IM in 2 minutes, 9.38 seconds — the fastest time in the world this year. It was also the fastest time Rice has swum without the aid of the buoyancy swimsuits which are now banned in competition.
With the Thorpedo out, attention in the men’s freestyle turned to the “Missile,” as world champion James Magnussen is known.
Magnussen had the fastest time in Sunday night’s 100 semifinals in 47.93 seconds. He’s targeting Brazilian Cesar Cielo’s world record of 46.91 in Monday’s final.
“I’ll certainly be going for it,” Magnussen said. “I haven’t really had to push through that last 25 (meters) yet ... I’ve still got something in the tank.”
Controversial Nick D’Arcy earned selection with a dominant performance in the 200 butterfly, winning in 1:54.71. He was picked for the Australian team in 2008 but was dropped after assaulting a fellow swimmer during a night out celebrating the end of the selection trials.
He was convicted in a criminal court and later lost a civil case and ordered to pay compensation to Simon Cowley. D’Arcy has since filed for bankruptcy, but has been cleared by the Australian Olympic Committee for selection for London.
“It has been a pretty big journey for me. I’ve had some ups and downs,” he said. “It’s just great to come out on top.”
D’Arcy said he’d keep the celebrations quiet this time: dinner with his parents in Adelaide and catching up with friends at home later in the week.
Thorpe didn’t have much to celebrate, acknowledging that he’d put too much pressure on himself by leaving his comeback to competitive swimming until late last year.
He has vowed to continue swimming, possibly restoring the 400 freestyle to his program and maybe even having a go at qualifying for the 2016 Olympics.
“When I started this I wanted to get back into the pool. I wanted to start racing again, I wanted to be competitive again and I wanted to go to the Olympics,” he said. “I still want to do all of those things.
“I’ve missed out on what was a huge goal for me to accomplish in this short period of time, but still the desire I had pre to this, it’s still there.”
Asked if he would reset his sights on Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Thorpe laughed, paused for a few moments, then said: “I’m not going to rule anything out at the moment.”
“It’s hard coming to this competition and really, you know, failing in what I set out to do,” he said. “I’m disappointed that I really haven’t been able to race in a way that’s reflective of the work that I’ve done and how I’ve trained.”
His time of 50.35 seconds ranked him 21st in the heats of the 100, with only the top 16 advancing to the semifinals.
Thorpe’s best shot at London was to qualify as a relay swimmer in the 200, so competing in the 100 was always a last-ditch effort.
He won his heat in the 100, the ninth of 12, but was very slow to leave the pool after looking at the scoreboard and seeing his time.
The winner of the next heat swam 48.85, and there were two races after that.
Former world record-holder Michael Klim, another veteran coming out of retirement, qualified 11th for the semifinals of the 100 but finished ranked 15th and didn’t reach the final. Thorpe had been inspired by the comeback of 34-year-old Klim, a long-time Australian teammate, and it was one of the factors that gave him confidence for future success.
Australian head coach Leigh Nugent said Thorpe showed signs he could again be a force in the sport.
“He’s got it all, it’s there, you just have to train him,” Nugent said. “What he attempted was incredibly difficult and coming here and doing what he’s done is an achievement in itself, but it’s part of a bigger process.”
Thorpe is still a star in Australia, having won five Olympic gold medals, 11 world championships and setting 13 world records after bursting onto the scene in 1999, and his return generated enormous exposure for the Australian Olympic trials.
“Getting knocked down from a position of immense success,” Thorpe said, will be the “kick along” that his comeback needs.
“I’m pleased that when I’ve raced and I’ve struggled through racing that it’s made me more determined to keep going.”