NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Australian swimmer Ryan Napoleon was denied an unlikely Commonwealth Games 400 metres men’s freestyle gold by a fraction of a second yesterday after he beat a drugs ban and a dodgy stomach to reach the final.
Canadian Ryan Cochrane edged out Napoleon by 0.11 seconds in the final at the Dr. SP Mukherjee Aquatic Complex in Delhi in a cruel end to a difficult build-up for the Australian.
The 20-year-old Napoleon was set to miss the Games in India after he was banned for three months following a positive test for the banned substance formoterol, which Swimming Australia blamed on an incorrectly-labelled asthma medication.
Following a successful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, however, swimming’s governing body FINA backdated the ban for three months, enabling him to take part in Delhi.
“Obviously not having the first three weeks of preparation was not ideal,” Napoleon said, after coming through his Monday morning heat having been awoken in the early hours by an upset stomach.
The lack of a proper preparation seemed to affect Napoleon as he tired after a bright start in the final but he pushed hard over the last 25 metres only to come up a fraction short against his 21-year-old Canadian rivalr.
“That’s the way the race goes. I am happy to come away with silver,” Napoleon said. “Ryan (Cochrane) is a great swimmer and he just got me in the end.
Australia, however, did have gold medals to cheer on the opening night of swimming competition with three victories in the five finals last night.
Kylie Palmer and Alicia Coutts won the women’s 200 metres freestyle and 200 individual medley and the men claimed gold in a tight 4×100 freestyle relay in the final race of the evening.
