ADELAIDE, Australia, March 17. THE most-watched comeback story of the year has come to an end, as Ian Thorpe has failed to advance to the semifinals of the 100 freestyle at the Australian Olympic Trials.
Thorpe, who announced his official comeback about a year ago, swam a 50.35, which was .19 slower than the 16th-place time posted. The top 16 swimmers in the event will swim in the semifinals later today.
Thorpe had qualified for the semifinals of the 200 free on Friday, but did not make the finals, finishing 12th overall with a 1:49.91.
James Magnussen, the reigning world champion, qualified first in prelims with a 48.26, just off his world-leading time of 48.05 from January.
Come back to SwimmingWorld.com for a recap of Saturday's finals from Adelaide.