Popov leads farewell parade

ATHENS, Aug 22 (Reuters) -- Athens marked the end of the Olympic trail for Alexander Popov and a clutch of other swimming champions.

Popov, outstanding among sprint freestylers, swam his last race in Saturday's medley relay and departed without a medal at the end of a career studded with gold.

The 32-year-old Russian won unique back-to-back freestyle doubles in the 50 and 100 metres freestyle at the 1992 and 1996 Games and fanned hopes of more Olympic glory when he regained his world titles in both events at the 2003 world championships.

But there was to be no last hurrah in the Athens pool.

Popov was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 100 freestyle and did not make it past the heats of the 50 freestyle although his world record remained intact.

Popov anchored 4x100 freestyle and medley relays but Russia finished fourth in both to close a magnificent career which, in major international terms, began and ended in Athens.

At 19 he came to the Greek capital and won the first of a record 10 European individual titles in a career which was to bring him five world and four Olympic crowns plus a world relay gold in 2003.

Popov is followed out of the Olympic exit by other fine swimmers, including Franziska van Almsick, Jenny Thompson and Petria Thomas.

Van Almsick made a sensational entry to the Olympic stage at the age of 14 at the 1992 Barcelona Games with a silver medal in the 200 freestyle, a bronze in the 100 freestyle and two relay medals.

A storming world record swim in the 200 freestyle brought the former East German gold at the 1994 world championships and made her a strong favourite to win the event at the 1996 Games.

But she had to settle for silver, plus silver and bronze in relays. Sydney, another Olympic disappointment for van Almsick, brought only a relay bronze.

HIGH HOPES

Revitalised by another world record in 2002, she came to Athens with high hopes but managed only fifth in 200. Bronze in two relays hoisted her Olympic tally to four silvers and six bronzes.

"Gold was not among them but I can look back on a wonderful career," van Almsick said.

Thompson, 31, notched a record 12th Olympic medal on Saturday in the U.S. medley relay as she signed off from her fourth and last Olympics.

Thompson enjoyed the support of a perennially strong U.S. team and achieved 10 of those medals in relays but she, like van Almsick, was denied an individual gold, having taken silver in the 100 freestyle in 1992 and bronze in the same event in 2000.

Australia's Thomas, a 1996 silver and 2000 bronze medallist in the 200 butterfly, completed her Olympic set with gold in the 100 butterfly in Athens. She also collected more gold in two world record breaking relays.

The golden treble plus silver in the 200 butterfly made Athens a great send-off for Thomas, who celebrates her 29th birthday on Wednesday.

Sydney triple champion Inge de Bruijn, who retained her 50 freestyle title and took silver in the 100 freestyle and bronze in the 100 butterfly and 4x100 freestyle relay, left her future open.

"I don't know if I'll be there for the next Olympics, we'll see," the Dutch sprinter, who turns 31 on Tuesday, said.

American Gary Hall, 30 later this year and long in the shadow of Popov during the 1990s, shared gold in the 50 freestyle in 2000 and won it outright this time, showing undiminished zest for the fray .

What about Beijing 2008? "Yes, why not?," he said.

Copyright 2004 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.