Thorpe clocks quickest comeback time
Ian Thorpe has set the quickest time of his comeback to finish sixth in the 100m freestyle final at a low-key event in Luxembourg in 50.76 seconds.
Thorpe, who qualified third fastest for the final of the Euro Meet with a time of 50.82s, has bettered the 50.84s he swam in Italy last month and the 51.05 he clocked in the Victorian titles earlier this month.
However, almost a year after announcing his return to competition last February, the 29-year-old is still a career away from his 2004 best of 48.56s and a long way off the Olympic A-qualifying time of 48.82s.
Thorpe contested the 200m freestyle final at the Luxembourg meet on Saturday finishing fourth in a time of 1min 51.51sec, a worse result than the 1:50.79 he posted at the Victorian titles and a lifetime away from his old world record time and personal best of 1:44.06 set in 2001 – a mark which stood for nearly six years.
The five-time Olympic champion is using the meet to tune up for Australia’s Olympic trials in March.
He will then train in Spain and Germany, before another race in Zurich three weeks before the Olympic trials.
Thorpe is considered little chance to make the Olympic team in the fiercely-competitive 100m freestyle with his best chance of booking a ticket to the London Games likely to be one of the six places in the 4x200m relay squad.
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The Crowd Says (2) | Page 1 of Comments
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January 31st 2012 @ 4:12pm
Gary Russell-Sharam said | January 31st 2012 @ 4:12pm | Report comment
Ho Hum who really cares if Thorpe makes it. I guess that the media do but I doubt anyone else does. Thorpy, retire on your millions and get on with your life. Live a normal life like all of us and we will remember you as one of the greatest. You are in danger of being a bit of a curio like the bearded lady at the circus, and I would hate that to happen. You are never going to make the Olympic Team not unless some political miracle happens (maybe it might, stranger things do happen in sport) To put it in the sense of reality Thorpe’s time is only 8 seconds faster than I did when I was 13, some 49 years ago and I was just a young nobody.
February 9th 2012 @ 4:42pm
aussiepolliessport said | February 9th 2012 @ 4:42pm | Report comment
The sooner we realise that the Thorpe comeback is likely doomed the better. Then we can focus on the youngsters showing talent, winning medals and setting massive PBs who likely have a long future in the sport.