Magnussen hits out at Aussie swimming coaches
James Magnussen has taken aim at coaches after Australia failed to win a single medal on day six of the swimming world championships.
'The Missile' has accused Australian coaches of "going against our swimming history" with some questionable relay tactics in recent meets.
Australia's young 4x200m freestyle relay team of Clyde Lewis, Mack Horton, Alex Graham and Jack Cartwright went closest to a medal on day six, but finished fourth in their final, which was won by Great Britain.
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With two days left, Australia are 12th on the medal tally with five silver and two bronze - but no gold.
And Magnussen - who isn't in Budapest - has been left frustrated by Australia's tactics of not leading off with their fastest swimmers in relays, saying he also took issue with it in Rio last year.
"The relays are really confusing me this meet and they did again in Rio," Magnussen told Fox Sports on Saturday.
"The other countries are leading off with their fastest swimmers, putting leads on the rest of the field and then coming home strong to win the gold.
"In each of the relays so far Australia has failed to lead off with their fastest swimmers, have been behind from the first leg and have then failed to feature in the medals in a couple of those events.
"It really does confuse me that, in an event that particularly I know — the men's 4x100m freestyle — we had Cam McEvoy, our fastest swimmer, swimming the third leg and by the time it got to him we were already in fourth or fifth position.
"There's not much you can do swimming in that, what we call, 'messy water' when you're behind.
"I'd like to see Australia lead off with out fastest swimmers and even if we don't win a medal, at least at the end of the race we could say 'we were in with a shot'."
Magnussen featured in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team that won bronze in Brazil, forced to fight back from last place after James Roberts' opening leg.
He was left disappointed by coaching decisions not to lead off with McEvoy then as well.
In five relay events so far in Budapest, Australia has two silver medals and a bronze, and Magnussen says the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of coaches.
"We've won two major events in the men's 4x100m freestyle — which I'm probably most qualified to comment on — the Sydney (2000) Olympics and the 2011 (Shanghai) world championships," he said.
"In Sydney, Michael Klim led off in a world record and we went on to win the race. In 2011, I led off that year in what was a world-leading time and, again, we led from start to finish and won the gold.
"To change that winning formula almost goes against our swimming history.
"I think maybe we're trying to get too cute with these relays and play into some tactics of where other swimmers might swim their swimmers.
“.... I'm sure there are swimmers within those teams that are frustrated with the order and selection of those relay teams and I'm sure they’d be feeling the same way I did last year at the Rio Olympics."
with AAP