Craig Stevens gave up an Olympic spot for Ian Thorpe but worse was to come

FAMOUSLY standing aside for Ian Thorpe ahead of the 2004 Olympics wasn’t even the lowest blow Craig Stevens copped during his swimming career.

Craig Stevens says he would give up his swim again for Ian Thorpe if he had to. Picture. Phil Hillyard

CRAIG Stevens is not just the Olympic swimmer who gave his spot to Ian Thorpe. He is also the bank teller who got robbed.

Not by a man in a mask, but by a system that somehow got him to surrender a hard-won medal and gave him nothing in return.

As the world waits for the decision of whether drug-cheating superpower Russia will be kicked out of the Games, people might spare a thought for the sportsmen whose careers were shoved into the shade by drug-fuelled rivals.

CONTROVERSIES SPECIAL: When Olympic dreams become nightmares

Stevens, the swim coach and one-time bank teller, has revealed he is one of them.

He is best known for being the good Samaritan who surrendered the place he earned in the Australian 400m freestyle for the 2004 Athens Olympics to good friend Ian Thorpe, who had been disqualified on the trials after over-balancing on the blocks.

Craig Stevens, who gave up his swim for Ian Thorpe, at Sans Souci in Sydney. Picture. Phil Hillyard

You would have thought, after that great act of chivalry, fate would have balanced the ledger but several years later it brutally taunted him again.

Stevens won a bronze medal at the 2007 world championships in Melbourne and when gold medallist Oussama Mellouli from Tunisia was disqualified for failing a drug test, Stevens was hastily promoted to silver.

“I was asked to send back my bronze medal to receive my silver so I sent it to Swimming Australia but I never got the silver medal in return,’’ Stevens said.

“Swimming Australia were going to chase it up from their end. And unfortunately no one there knows where the bronze medal went – it’s disappeared – and they said they did not receive any silver medal. So I don’t have any medal, bronze or silver. That’s a bit disappointing, not having something to show for the achievement but it’s life I guess.’’

Craig Stevens (rear) celebrates winning a bronze medal in the 800m freestyle at the World Championships in 2008. Gold winner Oussama Mellouli (front) was later forced to return his medal following a positive drugs test.

So while Jared Tallent swapped his Olympic silver for gold, Stevens swapped his bronze for ... nothing.

“You don’t swim just for the medals but it would have been nice,” he said.

“With all the stuff that is happening with Russian athletes being disqualified, hopefully people who get advanced have better luck and actually get to receive their medals from people who are disqualified.’’

CONTROVERSIES SPECIAL: When Olympic dreams become nightmares

Stevens, who works as a swim coach in Sydney, declared if he had to stand down for Thorpe he would do it all over again.

“It was a decision that had to be made. And Ian won as well. So I have no regrets at all. It worked well for the swim team,” he said.

Craig Stevens says he’d give up his swim again for Ian Thorpe.

“Looking back it was a longer process than it should have been. I waited for it all to die down. There was quite a bit of media exposure and pressure.

“Being a swimmer and going somewhere for the first time, there was always a thought that I could have really benefited from a first swim to get into the meet.

“It is a long time to wait for the 1500m on that last day without an early swim.

“That was my initial thinking but common sense prevailed.’’

Originally published as Craig Stevens gave up an Olympic spot for Ian Thorpe but worse was to come