Dream is over for Phelps

Disqualification in relay ends swimmer's chance to win eight golds

By Kevin Van Valkenburg | Sun Reporter

April 1, 2007

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - From the cover

It's almost difficult to believe, but after winning six gold medals in six days, as well as setting four world records, Michael Phelps had one final day of hurdles left at the FINA World Championships. And then bad luck, and one one-hundredth of a second on a relay exchange, derailed his chance at history.

Phelps did his part, qualifying for the 400-meter individual medley final, his last individual event of the meet. But the Americans' 400-meter medley relay team, like a cruel April Fool's joke, got disqualified in the preliminaries when butterfly specialist Ian Crocker left the blocks early, .04 of a second before breaststroker Scott Usher touched the wall.

Swimming rules allow an early exchange if the difference is .03 of a second or less, meaning the U.S. team was disqualified by .01 of a second.

Without the illegal exchange, the Americans would have qualified with the fastest time by more than three seconds. It was the first time a U.S. team has failed to reach the finals of the medley relay in world championship history. The Americans were disqualified in the finals for an illegal exchange in 2001 at the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

Mark Schubert, the head coach of the U.S. swimming team, and Bob Bowman, the men's head coach, reviewed a slow-motion tape of the exchange and decided not to protest the disqualification, according to U.S. swim officials.

"Every once in a while, an early takeoff rears its ugly head," said U.S. assistant coach Eddie Reese, the only coach available to the media after the race. "You don't want it for anybody out there. Everybody that's an athlete feels that. Doesn't matter who you are, it's happened to a relay you're on at some time."

It is the custom of the American swim team to give the winner of the 100-meter butterfly that spot on the relay team in the final, and Reese said Phelps was scheduled to swim in the final. The runner up in the 100 fly swims in the preliminaries and semifinals to keep his teammate fresh. That's why Crocker was in the pool instead of Phelps.

"Ian is pretty sensitive," said Reese, Crocker's personal coach, both now and at the University of Texas. "We'll talk about it, I'm sure."

The U.S. team didn't find out it had been disqualified until after the race was over. Phelps will now only be able to match Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in one meet, set at the Olympics in 1972.

"That's the way swimming goes sometimes," said Neil Walker, who swam the anchor freestyle leg for the Americans in the medley relay. "Every team out there is going so fast that you don't want to be too slow on the start. It's just an unlucky exchange. That's all it is."

Crocker looked devastated as he walked through the media mixed zone, declining to stop and talk with reporters. Reese said he could never remember Crocker's being disqualified in a relay before, not even in college.

Said Walker: "I think it was probably a little overexcitement for him. "" He had a really excited race with Michael Phelps [in the 100 meter butterfly] and to get back up the next morning is tough to do. It's just the way sport goes sometimes. The difference is a few hundredths of a second. That's almost an incomprehensible amount of time."

Walker said he thought Crocker's preparation, windup and dive into the pool was "conservative" but that Crocker probably had a bit too much adrenaline on the takeoff.

Every member of the relay team appeared to realize the implications of a disqualification for Phelps when it was announced.

"It is disappointing," Walker said. "Michael was doing something that's never been done before. Everyone is going to be disappointed. But Michael is going to see that this is the way it happens. There's no real explanation for it. It's just bad luck."

Because he no longer needs to conserve energy for the medley relay, Phelps becomes a huge favorite to win the 400-meter individual medley. He won the gold medal in Athens, set a world record that still stands of 4:08.26, and hasn't lost a 400 IM final since Erik Vendt beat him at the Janet Evans Invitational in 2002. Hungary's Lazlo Cseh is, however, the defending world champion because Phelps passed on swimming the event at the 2005 World Championships in Montreal.

Towson's Katie Hoff has a chance to win her third gold medal of the championships this morning. She is the defending champion in the 400 IM and swam the fastest time during qualifying. Zimbabwe's Kirsty Coventry, Hoff's closest competition in the event, was disqualified for failing to touch the wall with two hands during the breaststroke.

"I felt really good. I swum my best morning swim," Hoff said. "I'm definitely pleased with this week."