18 Mar 2012

Thorpe fails to qualify for London Olympics

4:00 pm on 18 March 2012

Five-times Olympic champion Ian Thorpe won't be at this year's Olympic Games in London after crashing out of the heats of the 100 metres freestyle at Australia's national swimming trials.

Thorpe, who also failed to secure a 200 freestyle berth earlier in the trials, wasn't even fast enough to make the semi-finals of the 100 metres in Adelaide.

Thorpe's time was more than two seconds shy of pace-setter James Magnussen's 48.26.

After more than five years away from the pool, the 29-year-old Thorpe announced his return to the pool just over a year ago with the aim of qualifying for his third Olympics.