Magnussen and Co smashed like guitars

THIS time they were smashed like guitars.

Out of tune and out of sorts, James Magnussen and his reigning world champions not only failed to win an Olympic gold that seemed theirs for the taking, but failed to win any medal.

Twelve years after American Gary Hall Junior’s guitar trash talking inspired Australia’s men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team to the sweetest of Olympic victories, their 2012 counterparts started hot favourites to reclaim that title but could do no better than fourth.

“I am stunned,” said Ian Thorpe, who brought the Sydney 2000 team home to a tumultuous reception.

There was no psychological warfare this time, and it wasn’t the Americans who sank Australia without trace but the French, powering home to take gold from the US and Russia.

Magnussen, the reigning world 100m champion, said he “just couldn’t back up” after the morning heats but had no real explanation for the disappointing performance.

“Words can’t describe it,” said Magnussen, who managed only to leave the Australians in second place after his opening leg.

It was downhill from there as the Aussies slowly but surely slipped out of contention.

Earlier on Sunday night Christian Sprenger lifted Australian spirits with a surprise silver medal in the men’s 100m breaststroke and Alicia Coutts took bronze in the women’s 100m butterfly.

Both fell to world record swims by South African Cameron van der Burgh and American Dana Vollmer respectively.

There were promising Australian results in rowing, canoeing, equestrian and table tennis, but tennis hope Bernard Tomic crashed out in the first round at Wimbledon, just as teammate Sam Stosur had, and there was little to shout about either in shooting, sailing, cycling, basketball, gymnastics, judo, diving, volleyball and beach volleyball.

The hastily-arranged “Motley Crew”, the women’s rowing eight, placed second in their heat, marking themselves as a distinct medal prospect.

At the Greenwich Park equestrian centre, Beijing Games silver medallists Lucinda and Clayton Fredericks lifted Australia into second position behind Germany after the dressage phase of the team eventing.

Lucinda Fredericks was the best-performed of the five Australian riders, amassing 40.00 penalty points riding Flying Finish, to be tied for seventh in the individual competition.

West Australian paddler Kynan Maley snuck into the semi-finals of the C1 while table tennis veteran William Henzell scored a 4-2 win over Portugal’s Joao Monteiro, ranked nearly 100 places higher, in a gripping second round match.

But that’s about as good as it got.

In cycling’s 140km women’s road race, Chloe Hosking and team captain Amanda Spratt cracked on the first of two laps of the Box Hill circuit in Surrey, while time trial specialist Shara Gillow’s chain came off with about 10km left and she finished 39th.

The cycling team also confirmed the end of Cadel Evans’ Olympic campaign, the former Tour de France winner pulling out of the road time trial because of fatigue.

Australians Sharleen Stratton and Anabelle Smith missed out on a medal in the 3m synchronised springboard as China’s inevitable domination of diving began.

Basketball’s Boomers lost a nail-biter to Brazil 75-71, shooter Lauryn Mark bowed out of the women’s skeet by hitting just 59 targets from a possible 75 and the men’s volleyball team opened their campaign with a straight-sets loss to Argentina.

Beach volleyballers Becchara Palmer and Louise Bawden lost their opening pool match to Germany.

Finn sailor Brendan Casey made a disastrous start to his Olympics, slumping to last place before capsizing and abandoning his first race.