The challenge ahead of Ian Thorpe, Michael Klim and Libby Trickett to make the Olympic swim team just got a whole lot tougher, according to Australian great Dawn Fraser.
The strong times recorded across the board at this week’s Australian Championships in Sydney have left Fraser convinced the three former stars will need to produce something special if they’re to qualify for London.
“They’ve got a hard task now. The swimmers are absolutely going fantastic and a lot of new names on the horizon, too, so it’s going to make it hard for the guys coming back,” Fraser told AAP.
“Thorpe and Klim will have to really do something now.”
Fraser said whether the trio make the cut or not, their comebacks are likely to get the best out of an Australian team desperate to regain past glory in the pool.
“It gives the younger kids all the incentive to train hard and think ‘if I’m going to have to race against Ian Thorpe, one of the greatest swimmers in Australia, and if I have the opportunity to beat him, god that’s a great feather in the cap’.
“It’s a name they’ll be chasing. The girls will be chasing Trickett and the boys will be chasing Thorpie and Klim like they’re chasing (Geoff) Huegill at the moment.”
Despite the gauntlet which has been thrown down by the country’s emerging talent, Fraser is confident Thorpe, Klim and Trickett still have what it takes.
“I think they’ve all got the ability to be able to do it,” said one of Australia’s greatest ever Olympians.
“Look at Huegill, Huegill’s been motivated to do it and it’ll be interesting to see in the next trials.
“They had the ability, whether they’ve lost it or not I don’t know.
“I hope they do come back because they’ve got wonderful experience and they could potentially teach a lot of our young swimmers what it’s like to succeed at the Olympics.”
Fraser praised the likes of Alicia Coutts and Kylie Palmer for their performances during the week.
She said Andrew Lauterstein’s bombing out of the 100m butterfly on Wednesday was one of the few disappointments of the championships and urged the 23 year-old, who has battled illness and fatigue, to seek urgent medical attention.
“Andrew Lauterstein, he’s got to have a good look at himself and what he’s doing wrong and he’s got time to do it,” Fraser said.
“I’ve only spoken to Andrew once or twice … I don’t know the man very well but by looking at him I think he’s got all the ability in the world.
“But he had that sickness prior to the Commonwealth Games and maybe he should be getting himself to the doctors.
“Obviously there’s something wrong they haven’t found and he’s still got time if they find it soon and I hope they do because he’s a great swimmer.”
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