Australia’s Olympic and world champion swimmer Ian Thorpe makes his competitive comeback at this weekend’s World Cup shortcourse meet at Sydney’s Olympic Aquatic Centre.
Thorpe will swim his first race since last year’s Athens Olympics in the 100m freestyle.
The 200 and 400m Olympic freestyle champion and world record holder skipped last July’s Montreal world championships where Australia finished second to the United States.
His coach Tracey Menzies on Wednesday warned not to expect miracles from Australia’s greatest Olympian as he faces South African Olympic relay champion Ryk Neethling and former world shortcourse champ Ashley Callus.
”It’s just a little dip, we’re just going to hop back in again and get used to the groove again and get him used to racing,” she told a Sydney radio station.
”It’s going to be a tough event because the South Africans are in it, it’s a pretty tough event.
”I think because he hasn’t raced for 15 months he needs to get back out there and see what is out there to see who he’s up against and what he’s up against.”
”I think the belief out there is that he has just been on vacation but he’s actually been in training and has been working really hard… I’m happy with where he’s at at the moment.
”He’s really happy in his training and happy in himself so I can’t ask more than that.”
Menzies is unsure if he would ever get back to his world record-breaking best.
He plans to drop the 400m freestyle from his programme to concentrate on sprint racing events such as the 100m and 200m.
”It is a big ask. But I suppose the only person who really knows that is himself,” Menzies said.
Thorpe has set his sights on winning gold in the 200m and 400m — the two world records he still holds — at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games next March ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. – AFP
