Olympic swimming champion Thorpe returns to the pool
SINGAPORE - The return of swimming great Ian Thorpe after a five-year hiatus has provided a much-needed fillip to the sport after the negative headlines surrounding performance-enhancing swimsuits, Australian team mate Libby Trickett said on Thursday.
The use of the now-banned super suits led to a number of stunning world records at the 2009 world championships but the legitimacy of those times left many believing they were unfairly set.
Now, triple Olympic champion Trickett said she was pleased she was being asked about positive things happening in the sport as she also prepares to return to international action for the first time in two years.
"In the last couple of years there have been a few negative things happen in the sport, the swimsuits played an issue so to have something so positive bring back the publicity to swimming I think is a really wonderful thing," Trickett told reporters in Singapore on Thursday.
Trickett and five-times Olympic champion Thorpe will race in a World Cup meet in the southeast Asian city-state on Friday ahead of the Australian Olympic trials next year.
Her return to the international arena for the first time since the 2009 world championships in Rome would normally have demanded greater attention than she garnered on Thursday.
Trickett won an Olympic gold at Athens in 2004 and two at Beijing as well as eight world championship titles, including a record five in Melbourne in 2007.
But after Thorpe spoke to a room packed with international journalists, many filtered out before Trickett had a chance to discuss her comeback... not that she minded the lower profile.
"It is Ian Thorpe," the chirpy Queensland-born 26-year-old said.
"I spent a number of years prior to making the team watching the amazing achievements that he was able to produce.
"It is such a thrill for me at 26 to be able to swim on a team with someone like Thorpey, who could deny someone who has achieved so much for the sport and again, who has brought such great publicity for Australia."
It was not the first time Trickett had the spotlight stolen by Australia's most successful Olympian.
"The last time I was on a team with Ian in 2004, at Olympic trials, I was the only person to break a world record at the meet but Ian Thorpe fell in the water in the 400m freestyle," she joked, referring to his infamous disqualification for a false start.
"It's just one of those things. He's such a tremendous drawcard and he does such amazing things for the sport so it doesn't bother me too much. I kind of like laying low a little bit more too."
Trickett returned to competitive action in June but failed to clinch a place in Australia's world championship relay team.
In Singapore, she will race in the 100 metre and 50 metre butterfly as well as 50m freestyle at the two-day World Cup meet.
While admitting to nerves she spoke at her delight to be back in the pool and was hopeful of posting strong times.
"It is such a thrill to be here and it feels completely surreal compared to 15 months ago when I was on a completely different track of my life, going in a completely different direction and wasn't really enjoying what I was doing and wasn't really happy.
"Now I feel completely happy and just loving every minute of everything I do here. I feel good and I expect to race fast." — Reuters
The use of the now-banned super suits led to a number of stunning world records at the 2009 world championships but the legitimacy of those times left many believing they were unfairly set.
Now, triple Olympic champion Trickett said she was pleased she was being asked about positive things happening in the sport as she also prepares to return to international action for the first time in two years.
"In the last couple of years there have been a few negative things happen in the sport, the swimsuits played an issue so to have something so positive bring back the publicity to swimming I think is a really wonderful thing," Trickett told reporters in Singapore on Thursday.
Trickett and five-times Olympic champion Thorpe will race in a World Cup meet in the southeast Asian city-state on Friday ahead of the Australian Olympic trials next year.
Her return to the international arena for the first time since the 2009 world championships in Rome would normally have demanded greater attention than she garnered on Thursday.
Trickett won an Olympic gold at Athens in 2004 and two at Beijing as well as eight world championship titles, including a record five in Melbourne in 2007.
But after Thorpe spoke to a room packed with international journalists, many filtered out before Trickett had a chance to discuss her comeback... not that she minded the lower profile.
"It is Ian Thorpe," the chirpy Queensland-born 26-year-old said.
"I spent a number of years prior to making the team watching the amazing achievements that he was able to produce.
"It is such a thrill for me at 26 to be able to swim on a team with someone like Thorpey, who could deny someone who has achieved so much for the sport and again, who has brought such great publicity for Australia."
It was not the first time Trickett had the spotlight stolen by Australia's most successful Olympian.
"The last time I was on a team with Ian in 2004, at Olympic trials, I was the only person to break a world record at the meet but Ian Thorpe fell in the water in the 400m freestyle," she joked, referring to his infamous disqualification for a false start.
"It's just one of those things. He's such a tremendous drawcard and he does such amazing things for the sport so it doesn't bother me too much. I kind of like laying low a little bit more too."
Trickett returned to competitive action in June but failed to clinch a place in Australia's world championship relay team.
In Singapore, she will race in the 100 metre and 50 metre butterfly as well as 50m freestyle at the two-day World Cup meet.
While admitting to nerves she spoke at her delight to be back in the pool and was hopeful of posting strong times.
"It is such a thrill to be here and it feels completely surreal compared to 15 months ago when I was on a completely different track of my life, going in a completely different direction and wasn't really enjoying what I was doing and wasn't really happy.
"Now I feel completely happy and just loving every minute of everything I do here. I feel good and I expect to race fast." — Reuters
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