By Mark Beer, Reuters and Sapa-AFP
Sydney - Swimming was supposed to be the golden pot at the end of the rainbow nation's campaign at the Sydney Olympics. Instead, save for Brett Petersen in the men's 100m breaststroke and Mandy Loots in the women's 100m butterfly, South Africa was left to watch as Ian Thorpe, the teenager with size 18 feet, sped to victory.
Petersen, who squeaked through the morning heats as the 11th-fastest qualifier, came with a determined effort in the evening semifinals to lower his own South African record to 1min:01,42sec and book a place in Sunday's final.
Even though Loots didn't make her final, she twice broke her own national record, clocking 59,94sec in the heats and 59,63 in the semis to become the first South African woman to crack the 60-second barrier in the two-lap fly.
The biggest Olympic games in history exploded into action with nine world records and Australian swimmers stealing a march on arch rivals the United States.
Five of the world records were in the pool, two of them involving Thorpe, who bettered his own 400m freestyle mark to claim Australia's first gold, and anchored the Australian team, which broke the 4x100m freestyle relay record.
There were also world records in weightlifting and archery.
But some of the gloss was taken off with the news that Maria Teresa Salisachs, the wife of Juan Antonio Samaranch, had died as the IOC supremo rushed back to Spain early on Saturday to be at her bedside.
On the first full day of Games competition, 22 nations were posted on the medal board from 13 finals, headed by Australia with a total of five medals, one more than the US and China.
In the gold rush, Australia, the US, France and Japan have two each.
South Africa's Garren Bloch clocked 1:04,478 for an average speed of 55,833km/h and eighth place in the men's 1 000m individual time trial, which provided a huge upset when Britain's Jason Queally won gold by upstaging Aussie favourite Shane Kelly and France's world record holder Arnaud Tournant.
Most disappointing of all were the performances of Lizel Moore in the inaugural Olympic women's triathlon, Ryk Neethling in the men's 400m freestyle swim, and the men's 4x100m freestyle relay team.
Brisbane-based Moore could only manage 30th place among 40 finishers in the triathlon. Her problems started in the 1,5km sea swim in Sydney harbour when she exited the water 40th out of 48 starters.
Neethling went into the eight-lap event as the third-fastest man in the world this year and in with a definite medal chance. He came out of it beaten and embarrassed.
The freestyle relay quartet of Roland Schoeman, Brendon Dedekind, Nicholas Folker and Terence Parkin were also touted as possible medal contenders, but they could only manage fifth place in their heat, recording 3:21,28 to be a miserable 11th of 18 teams.
There were more poor showings in the pool, both Parkin and Renate du Plessis managing only 28th places respectively in heats for the men's 100m breaststroke and women's 100m butterfly.
South African shottist Frans Swart, a 38-year-old Hoopstad farmer, was another disappointment, ending the first day of qualifying in the trap competition in a four-way tie for 22nd position.
His scores of 21, 20 and 24 for an aggregate of 65 saw him way off the pace (72) being set by Australia's defending champion Michael Diamond.
With Penny Heyns and Sarah Poewe, in the 100m breaststroke, and world-class triathlete Conrad Stoltz in action on Sunday, South Africa will be hoping for much richer pickings.