The door is closed: Australia met the deadline for finalising entries to the Commonwealth Games yesterday and the name Ian Thorpe is absent from the 400m freestyle list.

Alan Thompson, head coach to the Dolphins, had tried to persuade the Olympic champion and world record holder to enter his signature event but Thorpe is fixed for the moment on 100 and 200m freestyle and is not yet ready to return to the 400 metres in racing.

In an interview in January, Thorpe said that he believed that he could get back to his world record times over 200 and 400 metres.