Freestyle flop costs Phelps; disgruntled Hall skips race

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- Michael Phelps stared at the scoreboard in disbelief, gasping for air. Neil Walker patted ailing teammate Ian Crocker on the shoulder. Jason Lezak rested glumly on the side of the pool.
America's worst showing in the Olympic 400-meter freestyle was over, and the third-place finish cost Phelps his chance to break Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals from the 1972 Munich Games.
"We're disappointed, but we're fortunate to win a medal," Phelps said. "It's a learning experience."
Phelps was placed on the relay instead of Gary Hall Jr., who was angered by the substitution and didn't show up Sunday night to see his teammates upset by South Africa's world-record performance.
The South Africans turned in a blistering time of 3 minutes, 13.17 seconds. The Netherlands took silver at 3:14.36, while Phelps and his American teammates settled for third at 3:14.62.
"To lose in that fashion is tough," U.S. men's coach Eddie Reese said. "It's not any fun at all."
USA Swimming officials didn't know where Hall was Sunday night. "It's disappointing he wasn't here," Phelps said.
Phelps' quest
Hall, who swam a faster 100 split in the morning preliminaries than Phelps did at night, has said Reese was pressured by USA Swimming and the media to put Phelps on the relay, ensuring he would have enough chances to go after Spitz's record.
Phelps, who opened the games by winning the 400 individual medley Saturday, is swimming five individual events in Athens and needed to be on all three relays. The 19-year-old from Baltimore has six events remaining, so the most he can achieve now is a tie with Spitz.
Schoeman, Lyndon Ferns, Darian Townsend and Ryk Neethling lowered the Aussies' old world record of 3:13.67, highlighted by Neethling's last lap of 47.91.
Before being stunned by Australia four years ago in Sydney, the Americans had never lost the event in the games. But they fell out of contention immediately Sunday: Crocker led off with the slowest 100 of anyone in the pool -- 50.05 seconds -- and his teammates were forced to play catch-up.
Phelps dove in next and moved his team up to sixth. Walker followed and then gave way to Lezak, who swam furiously in pursuit of the South Africans. But he burned himself out on his first 50 and got passed by Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband in the closing meters.
"They were on their game," Lezak said of the South Africans. "We weren't and it showed."
Crocker had been sick with a sore throat for three days, but the American coaches didn't want to give him antibiotics that might have triggered a positive drug test.
Rough showing
With winds gusting to more than 30 mph, the Olympic pool turned choppy for the Americans.
World record holder Brendan Hansen lost to Japan's Kosuke Kitajima in the 100 breaststroke. Hansen earned a silver medal on his 23rd birthday. Hugues Duboscq of France won bronze.
Jenny Thompson was again denied an individual gold, finishing fifth in the 100 butterfly. Any medal would have been the 12th of Thompson's illustrious career -- more than any other American -- but she remains tied with swimmers Spitz and Matt Biondi and shooter Carl Osburn.
Petria Thomas gave Australia its best moment of the night with an upset of defending Olympic champion Inge de Bruijn of the Netherlands in the 100 fly. De Bruijn settled for bronze.
The Aussie men finished sixth in the 400 free relay, despite Ian Thorpe swimming the anchor leg.
Laure Manaudou of France won the women's 400 freestyle, with American Kaitlin Sandeno earning a bronze. Otylia Jedrzejczak of Poland won two silvers, finishing second to Thomas in the 100 fly and Manaudou in the 400 free.