Where did it all go wrong?

Foster exceeded expectations by making the final

BBC Radio Five Live's Bob Ballard looks back on the British disappointments in the Olympic swimming competition and points the way forward.

So, for the first time since the Berlin Games of 1936, Britain's swimmers have failed to win an Olympic medal of any colour.

Is that a surprise? Well, yes it is, as the promise from the swimmers, coaches and management of the GB swim team was that we would achieve more finalists than in Atlanta four years ago.

We were told that we would, at least, match the silver and bronze medals collected by Paul Palmer and Graeme Smith.

Sadly, that prophecy wasn't realised.

Mark Foster, Paul Palmer, Jamie Salter and Stephen Parry made it into the last eight and Alison Sheppard was our token finalist in the women's individual event.

Pickering gave a good account of herself

Palmer's fifth in the 200 metres freestyle was the best achievement, especially as he broke the British record.

Out of sorts

This from a swimmer who admitted he was out of sorts at these Games.

Britain took 41 swimmers to Sydney, some of whom, like our bronze medallist from Atlanta, Graeme Smith, never even got to swim, despite being on the 4x200 freestyle relay team.

The British record holder in the 100 metres freestyle didn't get a look in either, and Karen Pickering, who hadn't swum a lead off leg since 1987, was asked at short notice to start for the women's 4x100 relay team.

Was that at the expense of a medal? Quite possibly.

How different things would have been had the relay squad, who were second fastest in the heats, won a medal, we'll never know, but it would have lifted the team and maybe some of those below par performances that followed would have been better.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but on such decisions a whole tournament, championship, or in this case, Olympics can be turned.

No-nonsense

Deryk Snelling has now bowed out as 'Performance Director' for British swimming, and the no-nonsense Australian, Bill Sweetenham, takes his place on 1 November.

Ian Thorpe - one of the stars at Sydney 2000

Expect a big seed change in the sport over the next four years, with some swimmers being asked to realise their potential in events that are foreign to them at the moment.

How did the rest of the world fare in light of their pre-Olympic expectations?

In truth Australia didn't do as well as had been expected in their home pool with seventeen and a half thousand people screaming them on.

After a memorable first day with Thorpe and the men's 4x100 freestyle relay, they only ended with five gold medals, which must have been three or four less than they'd anticipated.

Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband put payid to Ian Thorpe's hopes of a 200 and 400 freestyle double, Lars Frolander edged out Michael Klim for the 100 butterfly gold and Misty Hyman from the USA beat Australia's golden girl, Susie O'Neill, in the 200 fly for the first time in over five years.

Inge de Bruijn - part of the Dutch gold rush

America picked up fourteen golds, not unexpected, but what about Holland and Italy?

The Dutch, thanks to Inge de Bruijn and Pieter van den Hoogenband, collected five, plus a silver and two bronze medals.

Unfancied

The Italians, distinctly unfancied before the Games started, are going home with three golds, two for Domenico Fioravanti, and a silver and two bronze medals.

The rebuilding process for Athens in 2004 begins now for Britain's swimmers.

Yes, we may have moved on in terms of times since Atlanta, but the rest of the world has moved further away still.

If the public is not to lose faith, after all it's the Lottery money which is now funding the elite swimmers in the sport, then there has to be a quick turnaround, as early as next summer's World Championships in Japan.