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.
jameswm
Guest
I's tough to work out what the times mean right now, with the different suits. We need the WCs his year to work it out. Who is going to win an individual gold for us? Leisel? Alicia Coutts, and if so in what race? No one springs to mind.
Republican
Guest
David I am actually concerned for Australian swimming. Many of the times were under the qualifying mark set at the Aust Champs last week and that we have all these older swimmers making come backs indicates a lack of depth in our ranks - perhaps? This could also serve as a disincentive to any up and coming talent with the likes of Skippy, Thorpy, Trickett etc returning to the fray. Cheers
Brendon
Guest
Like every Olympics since 1996 the Australia swim team will fail to meet expectations. The whole "fastest" time of the year means nothing. The Americans usually hold their trials close to meets which means their swimmers are in the process of heavy training while we hold our trials earlier and our swimmers taper down. And how often do our swimmers fail to perform in big finals? As you pointed out Sullivan broke the world record in the semis but failed to win the final in Beijing - swimming 0.3 slower than his semi and even slower than his leadoff swim in the relay, where he also broke the world record. Two records in one meet and no gold medal. Sums up Australian swimming. I think one of the problems is that since swimming is such a big sport in Australia that our swimmers are full time professionals who operate at near their peak at most major meets (world champs, Olympics, Comm Games) so they don't have that extra gear to go up like the Americans do. Couple of things - Klim never won an individual gold. Remember the 100m fly in Sydney where Channel 7 embarrassingly promoted it as Huegill v Klim only to have Lars Frolander win the gold? Since 1972 we've only had 6 men win individual gold. Brad Cooper, Jon Sieben, Duncan Armstrong, Kieren Perkins, Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett. We've not had a new invidual gold medallist since 2000 when Thorpe and Hackett won their first gold. I doubt we'll ge tmore than 2-3 gold from the world champs and none from the men. Same goes with London. The Europeans have come back in swimming and with the Olympics in their backyard plus the always strong Americans London is going to be very, very, very tough and a few legends (ie Thorpe) are going to tarnish their careers.
sheek
Guest
Rainbird?! Give me a break. That nag won back in 1945 on a bog. Sorry David for getting way, way off track here (pardon the pun also), but Jose.......... There are an amazing string of coincidences regarding Rainbird. The same guy who owned Rainbird won back to back Melbourne Cups with Rain Lover 1968-69. His brother didn't miss out either, winning the 1963 Melbourne Cup with Gatum Gatum. Gatum Gatum & Rain Lover were both ridden by Jimmy Johnson. Gatum Gatum was trained by Graeme Heagney, who would also have trained Rain Lover, but turned him over to Mick Robins when he took his other champion Tobin Bronze to the USA to race. Now back to Rainbird, he was ridden by Billy Cook, who also rode Skipton in 1941, the last 3 year old to win the MC. Billy's son Peter Cook, also won two Melbourne Cups, in 1981 with Just A Dash & 1984 with Black Prince. Now Just a Dash was trained by the legendary Tommy (TJ) Smith, father of Gai Waterhouse, who also won in 1955 with Toporoa.....blah, blah, blah.....blah, blah, blah, blah.....blah, blah, blah..........
Jose
Guest
SHEEK - I consulted with Mme Lazonga and she says Rainbird is going to win the MC. Get down on it before the odds shorten. Neptune only ever shouts if you order a ladies waist of KB.
sheek
Guest
Okay Jose, I would love to win a pile on the Melbourne Cup - just once. So do you think Madame Lazonga could give me the winning horse for the 2011 MC, it would be much appreciated.....? And if Neptune is in the house of alcohol, is he shouting.....??
Jose
Guest
SHEEK - before I made my prediction I consulted Madam Lazonga, a Bondi Road astrologer, and she told me that Neptune being in the house of alcohol, a gold is assured. So relax, old buddy. It's written in the stars.
sheek
Guest
"The relay's gold". (I presume this refers to the men's 4x100 metres freestyle relay). Wow, such assured prescience! That's assuming no-one breaks in the heats, semis or final, & thus disqualifies the team. That's assuming no-one goes down with a respiratory illness that seems to regularly plague swimmers. That's assuming everyone holds their form between now & the world championships. That's also assuming swimmers from other countries don't come from "nowhere" like Magnussen & Roberts did. Then perhaps, again I say perhaps, we can claim the relay to be gold for Australia. But the signs are good.....
Tigers Fan
Guest
Relying on retired stars coming back is a slight worry!
Jose
Guest
The relay's a gold. But it's a long way back for Thorpe and Klim. Cielo's 100 was recorded in Rome July '09. That was an awfully fast pool - Biedermann holds the 200 at 1.42 and the 400 at 3.40, and Lin Zhang holds the 800. The 50 and 200 back and the 50 breast were set in the same Roman pool as these four WRs. 7 WRs in the same pool. Must've been something in the water.