Thorpe struggles in 10th place in 200m

Five-time Olympic gold medallist Ian Thorpe endured a second disappointing outing on his return to long course swimming after a six-year absence when he was 10th in the 200m freestyle at the Italian Winter Open. The 29-year-old Australian clocked 1min 51.51sec in the event won by Dutchman Sebastian Verschuren in a time of 1min 48.20sec. On Friday, Thorpe had struggled to 16th spot in the 100m freestyle in 50.84sec. "I am missing race rhythm but the time is about what I expected," said Thorpe, who has come out of retirement in an effort to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. Thorpe retired in November 2006 after winning five Olympic gold medals and 11 world titles, but announced his return to action in February.