Sport - Swimming

Hansen drops out due to illness

Melbourne: World-record holder Brendan Hansen dropped out of the 200-metre breaststroke because of a virus on Thursday, spoiling the next chapter in his rivalry with Kosuke Kitajima of Japan at the world swimming championships.

The American was due to swim in a morning preliminary heat on Thursday, with the final set for Friday night.

But the defending world champion became sick on Wednesday night after returning to the team hotel from the pool.

"I was on the bus with him coming back from the pool and he was feverish and feeling really lousy," U.S. head coach Mark Schubert said. "He had a really rough night, didn't sleep all night and had some other intestinal problems."

Hansen was monitored by doctors throughout the night, but team physician Ken Haller decided the swimmer should not compete on Thursday.

"He started feeling cramped up and has some kind of stomach virus. We quarantined him. In the middle of the night, he had a couple of IVs," U.S. backstroker Aaron Peirsol said.

"He's one of those guys, where if he could do anything to swim, if he had any kind of ability to do so, he would, so I know he must be feeling pretty awful."— AP

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