Ian Thorpe and Michael Klim on the comeback trail know exactly what they have to do to be in contention for the 2012 London Olympics.
Thorpe, now 28, retired from competitive swimming in 2006 after five Olympic, 11 world, and 10 Commonwealth Games golds, with 22 world records to his credit before he’d turned 22.
Klim (33) retired in 2007, with two Olympic, five world, and four Commonwealth Games golds, with two world records.
Both have nominated the London 100m and the relay as targets; Thorpe adding the 200m free and relay, where he broke the world 200m record six times.
Last night at the nationals in the Homebush pool, two unknowns – 19-year-olds James Magnussen, and James Roberts, both 20 on Monday – grabbed world championship berths for Shanghai in July with the fastest, and second fastest, 100 metres freestyle times in the world this year.
Where did they come from?
Magnussen wasn’t at all surprised: “I set my goal on this race 12 months ago, now I’m ready to take on the world”.
Nothing arrogant in the comment from the quietly-spoken Magnussen. He simply believed in himself and proved the point.
Magnussen clocked 48.29 seconds and Roberts 48.72, with former world record holder Eamon Sullivan third in 48.89.
And to underline the depth of talent on show last night, fastest qualifier Matt Targett stopped the clock at 48.91 and Matthew Abood at 48.95 – the first time in Australian swimming history the top five have cracked the 49s barrier.
What a relay team the Australians will have in Shanghai.
And what a mountain Thorpe and Klim have to climb to even have a sniff at London.
Thorpe’s PB for the 100m – 48.73 – was set in Manchester at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, nine years ago.
Klim’s PB – 48.15 – was a world record set at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, 11 years ago, only to be broken the next day by Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband with 47.84.
So the bar is set high for the comeback campaigners.
Realistically, only Sullivan can upset the two James’ by London.
Sullivan set his first world 100m free record in August 2008 at the Beijing Olympics. Giant Frenchman Alain Bernard whipped it off him two days later with 47.20. And in the very next race, Sullivan regained it with 47.05.
But Bernard won gold the following day with 47.21. Sullivan had to be content with 47.32, and silver.
That’s been the story of Sullivan’s career: world record-holder, but no gold – the same in the 50m free.
Interestingly, the equal bronze medalist at Beijing in the 100m was Brazil’s Cesar Cielo with 47.67.
He’s now the world record holder with 46.91, set in July 2009 during the ridiculous era of the bouyant super-suits.
Thankfully that era has been asterisked, so the James “brothers” are looking good for gold in Shanghai, leaving Ian Thorpe and Michael Klim with plenty to do for London.
It will be fascinating to see if they can emulate Geoff Huegill, another former world record holder whose comeback after four years in retirement, and losing 44kgs in weight, netted him two golds at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
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