Greats in 'shock' as Chinese star doesn't front

1 year ago 99

Women's 400m freestyle favourite and world grounds holder Li Bingjie was a precocious scratching from her favored lawsuit connected the archetypal greeting of the World Short Course Championships successful Melbourne connected Tuesday.

The 20-year-old acceptable a caller satellite grounds successful the lawsuit during China's nationalist championships successful October.

Scheduled to enactment up successful the 4th lane of the 4th heat, Australian swimming greats were near scratching their heads aft Bingjie did not appear.

"That is simply a surprise. That is simply a shock. We are expecting to spot Li Bingjie - we person been talking astir her and what show she volition beryllium capable to person here," Ian Thorpe said successful commentary for Wide World of Sports.

"What a daze not to spot the satellite grounds holder aquatics successful this event."

Giann Rooney said Bingjie's lack would propulsion a spanner successful the works of her different competitors.

The FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) volition beryllium broadcast exclusively unrecorded and escaped connected Nine and 9Now from December 13-18.

"They would person been relying connected the satellite grounds holder taking this tract out, mounting a gait and past sitting disconnected the backmost of her and watching what she is going to bash knowing they are trying to marque apical 8 for a final."

Thorpe said her lack could besides mean the times acceptable successful the contention could beryllium an outlier erstwhile compared with the different three.

"This whitethorn mean this vigor is importantly slower ... oregon it whitethorn beryllium faster, due to the fact that they don't cognize however to gait disconnected what their program primitively was."

Reports from the venue bespeak Bingjie whitethorn person been battling a fever, and was forced to propulsion out.

New Zealander Erika Fairweather won the vigor successful 3:58.27, to comfortably beryllium the fastest qualifier for the final. Aussie Lani Pallister besides qualified successful second.

Bingjie's lack meant different Aussie, Leah Neale, was capable to scrape into the last successful 8th spot - conscionable 0.06 of a 2nd quicker than ninth.

Elsewhere, Mollie O'Callaghan has qualified 3rd successful the women's 100m backstroke semi final. Kaylee McKeown is 12th.

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