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Olympic trials have not proved a happy hunting ground for comeback swimmers so far, but Libby Trickett is confident she can buck the trend after an encouraging start in the 100m freestyle.
The event appears Trickett’s best chance of earning a spot on the London Games team and she was pleased after clocking 54.83 seconds in Monday morning’s heats to qualify seventh fastest for the evening semi-finals.
Trickett needs a top-six finish in the event to earn a place on the squad as a relay swimmer and admits it will be tough in a field including fastest qualifier Cate Campbell (54.26), Yolane Kukla (54.27), Alicia Coutts (54.80) and Melanie Schlanger (54.80).
But the 27-year-old has not been put off by the ill-fated comeback of Ian Thorpe and fellow veteran Michael Klim missing his first chance to qualify in the 100m freestyle.
“I’m a different athlete. I’m a different person,” Trickett said on Monday morning.
“Thorpie was out for six years – Klim was out for four or five years. I was only out for 18 months max.
“I’ve probably given myself enough time to prepare for this meet and we’re all different athletes, so I can’t necessarily take their results as what’s going to be inevitable for me.
“I really felt for Thorpie and Klimmy. Klimmy still has another event (100m butterfly) but particularly for Thorpie. He’s a true champion in every sense of the word and it’s great to hear he’s planning on continuing.”
Trickett missed her first chance to qualify for the team but took huge encouragement from finishing third behind Coutts and Jess Schipper in the 100m butterfly.
But she admitted competition would be fierce in the freestyle.
“It’s going to be a tough bloody event,” Trickett said.
“The girls, they’re tough little competitors, but I’m excited. I’m sort of prepared and geared up for it.
Marieke Guehrer surprisingly missed the semi-finals on Monday morning, managing only the 20th fastest time in heats.
Emma McKeon (54.61), Bronte Campbell (54.66), Emily Seebohm (55.04) and Bronte Barratt (55.09) all safely progressed.
Leisel Jones moved safely into the semi-finals of the 200m breaststroke, qualifying second fastest in 2:29.78 behind Sarah Katsoulis (2:29.53).
Jayden Hadler (2:01.80) led the field into the 200m individual medley semis with Kenneth To (2:02.08) and Thomas Fraser-Holmes (2:02.74) also going through.
Matson Lawson (1:59.35) topped the heats of the 200m backstroke, from 100m champion Hayden Stoeckel (2:00.04) and Ashley Delaney (2:00.06).
Teenager David McKeon (7:57.22) cruised to victory in a timed final of the non-Olympic 800m freestyle.