Erika Fairweather narrowly missed bronze at the Paris Olympics. Photo: Photosport
Reigning world champion Erica Fairweather has seen her 400m freestyle title defence derailed, when she was disqualified for breaking after her heat in Singapore.
The Kiwi swimmer clocked 4m 03.39s, finishing fourth in the third heat, which would have seen her safely through to the final, but she had her performance scrubbed out for allegedly flinching on the starting block before the gun.
Her time would have been the sixth fastest in qualifying. Disqualifications in swimming are rare.
Fairweather, 21, captured the title at Doha last year in 3m 59.44s, as superstars Ariarne Titmus (Australia), Katie Ledecky (USA) and Summer McIntosh (Canada). She would later finish fourth behind that trio at the Paris Olympics, just 0.26s behind Ledecky for bronze.
Ledecky and McIntosh will contest the title, but Olympic champion Titmus has bypassed the meet, while fifth-ranked American Claire Weinstein has also withdrawn from the event.
Fairweather is also entered for the 200m freestyle, where she won silver last year, with heats scheduled for Tuesday.
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