Thorpe delays return

Five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe has delayed his return to action after pulling out of next month’s Mare Nostrum Series in Monaco as he has not yet fully recovered from a broken hand.

The Australian missed the Commonwealth Games in March through illness before breaking his hand in a fall at his home and he is now targeting the national championships in Brisbane in December, which are doubling as trials for the World Championships in Melbourne in March.

If Thorpe does compete in Melbourne it will mean a gap of more than two and a half years since his last international appearance at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and his next competition.

Australia head coach Alan Thompson said: “Ian’s health and his hand are coming along well, but we feel he’s not quite ready to race yet and he’ll dedicate all his time to regaining full fitness.”