Australia's world 100m freestyle record holder Eamon Sullivan will miss this month's Rome World Championships with a virus, Swimming Australia said yesterday.

Sullivan, who has been in Europe for the last six weeks, has struggled to overcome an illness that has hampered his training and race preparation, team officials said.

The 23-year-old withdrew from the Barcelona and Monaco legs of the Mare Nostrum Series last month before competing at the Paris Open and in Milan.

But he is still suffering from the virus and will return to Australia this week for further diagnosis, officials said.

Sullivan held on to his 100m world record of 47.05 seconds from last year's Beijing Olympics after world governing body FINA ruled out French Olympic champion Alain Bernard's 46.94sec swim at the French championships in April.

FINA did not approve the time because Bernard was wearing Arena's "X-Glide" swimsuit, which did not comply with the organization's regulations.

Sullivan was entered in the 50m and 100m freestyle events at the World Championships, beginning on July 26.

The Australians have also lost another team member with backstroker Hayden Stoeckel succumbing to a shoulder injury.

Swimming Australia said Beijing Olympic medalist Stoeckel had been training in Adelaide but had not recovered sufficiently from the injury.

Stoeckel, 24, who was set to swim the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke events in Rome, will stay at home for treatment.

Head Coach Alan Thompson said losing two swimmers at this stage of final preparations was a huge blow.

"To lose two Olympic medalists this close to the start of the World Championships is pretty disappointing, but we've taken this decision with London 2012 in mind," Thompson said in a statement on Sunday.

"Hayden has been struggling a bit with a shoulder injury in training, which just hasn't healed the way we would have liked, and Eamon has been knocked around by this virus ever since he was in Singapore some six weeks ago.

"While it's disappointing the guys won't be with us in Rome, the break will give them every opportunity to get over their illness and injury and regain full fitness as quickly as possible."

Thompson said neither Sullivan nor Stoeckel will be replaced in the Australian team for the World Championships.

(AFP via China Daily July 13, 2009)