You can't have one set of rules for Ian Thorpe and another for...

You can't have one set of rules for Ian Thorpe and another for everyone else. I presume that the rule for instant disqualification upon false starts is to prevent gamesmanship being applied. It was all a bit silly, he could probably let everyone have a head start and still won by several body lengths.

If he had made a decent dive into the pool, his appeal that he heard a noise similar to the starters pistol might have had some merit but the video clear showed that he just lost his balance and flopped into the water. (I did the same thing sky diving once)