Poolside with Gary Hall Jr.

The 50m mark had for nearly eight years stood at 21.64, set by the legendary Russian Alexander Popov. Hall is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 50m, in Sydney in 2000 and in Athens in 2004; he set the American record, 21.76, in 2000.

In February, Sullivan – who, as Swimming World Magazine’s website pointed out, had posted a best time only a year ago “just north of 22.00” – lowered the world-record at a meet in Sydney to 21.56.

In an e-mail thereafter to Australian journalists, Hall said:

“I am not accusing Eamon of cheating.

He immediately added:

“I have been in this sport for a very long time and I have never seen such a drop in time from an elite level swimmer. Similar drops have been made by athletes that were later proven cheaters.

“It’s no fault of Eamon that a lot of people are going to look at his swim suspiciously, unless of course he did cheat. The public has a right to be suspicious of doping when they see a drop like that.”

To say that his remarks caused a stir in Australia would be a generous understatement.

Rushing to Sullivan’s defense, the Herald Sun newspaper – calling him the “West Australian speed machine” – said he had “scoffed” at the “extraordinary drug slur leveled against him by brash American” Hall.

Grant Hackett, Australia’s longtime 1,500-meter champion, was quoted in the Herald Sun as saying, “Does Hall question every swimmer, both here, in his own country and around the world that has ever made significant drops in personal best times? That theory throws a cloud over everyone and is just not realistic.”

Sullivan, through his manager, released a statement saying he was “disappointed.” Meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herald published a test message Sullivan purportedly sent to Michael Klim, another Aussie swimmer and a multiple Olympic medalist: “Gary who? It might come back to bite him.”

The back story to this story, which few Australian swim fans needed to be reminded of, is that Hall had suggested before the 2000 Sydney Games that the U.S. men’s 4 x 100-meter relay team would “smash” the Australians “like a guitar.” Instead, the Australians won, Ian Thorpe passing Hall on the anchor leg.

The February record lasted until March 23, when Alain Bernard of France lowered it to 21.50.

Sullivan then lowered it again – twice, to 21.41 on March 27 and then to 21.28 on March 28.

Hall offered no direct comments Saturday about Sullivan’s new times. He said about the e-mail he sent after Sullivan’s February race, and the controversy it generated Down Under, “I know it’s obviously a page-turner for the tabloids in Australia. And I’ve come to expect that from an irresponsible Australian media.

“They have a bad habit of taking things out of context. That’s what happened in 2000 and happened again recently.”