Thorpe suffers infection

Ian Thorpe had to settle for silver in the 200m freestyle

Australian swimming hero Ian Thorpe is suffering from a respiratory tract infection which may explain why he was beaten in the 200 metres freestyle final.

Thorpe has taken the Olympics by storm with a string of magnificent performances but team doctors have revealed that the illness would have hampered the swimmer's efforts, helping the Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband to claim gold.

"He wouldn't have been competing at as high a fitness level as he would have liked," Australian team head doctor Brian Sando said.

Sando said Thorpe started to come down with the infection on Monday, which produces a runny nose, headache, sore throat and mild fever.

"That afternoon he started to get the first signs of his problem," he said.

Viral infection

"It's a viral type infection so antibiotics aren't appropriate," Sando said, adding that all he could do was treat the symptoms.

Liz Smylie, spokeswoman for the Sydney Games Organising Committee, denied reports that Thorpe had been isolated in the Olympic village.

He wouldn't have been competing at as high a fitness level as he would have liked

  Brian Sando, team doctor

Thorpe won the gold medal for the men's 400 metres freestyle in world record time and anchored the men's 4x100 metres freestyle relay team to victory on the first day of the Games.

He also won gold in the 4x200 metres freestyle.

Australians have considered a number of theories to explain why Thorpe was beaten into second place in a race he went into as clear favourite.

But Thorpe appeared fit and well at a news conference on Wednesday, and said he still wanted one more Olympic medal to add to his haul.

He did not mention the illness and said he was pushing for a place in the 4x100m medley relay team, even though his presence is considered doubtful.