Champ swimmer Thorpe fails trials, may not to take part in London Olympics

Melbourne, Mar.17 (ANI): Australia's champion swimmer Ian Thorpe may now not be in a position to fulfill his dream of participating in this year's Olympics in London, after being relegated to 12th overall in a 200m freestyle semi-final trial.

Expressing his disappointment over his performance, Thorpe told The Age: "I've been very fortunate throughout my career that these have been very rare for me, having to deal with his disappointment. You see people having to deal with it early in a meet and then prosper later."

Thorpe vowed that he would prosper in the 100m freestyle but he knows deep within himself that his dream of qualifying for the London Olympics is hanging now by the slenderest of threads.

"I still want my spot in the team. It gets a little harder now, but I'll find something within myself. It's tough but this is sport. This is what we do as athletes. Of the two races, this (the 100m freestyle) will be the tougher one to qualify for. Although that becomes the bigger hurdle, it becomes the greater motivator," Thorpe said.

Thorpe admitted that as he lay on the massage table after his swim last night he had asked himself whether it would have been better had he never attempted this audacious comeback, leaving himself only 18 months to prepare for these trials after five years of competitive inactivity. (ANI)