Swimming: Thorpe flops again on comeback trail

MELBOURNE:

Five-time Olympic gold medallist Ian Thorpe’s comeback stalled again when he failed to qualify for the 100-metre freestyle final in his first competitive swim in Australia since 2006. Thorpe, 29, announced a return to action in February last year following his retirement in November 2006.

But it has been a rocky road with his modest times, throwing into doubt his ability to qualify for the London Olympics. It failed to get any better at the Victorian state swimming championships where he finished seventh in his heat to miss the 10-man final. However, Thorpe played down his lack of form. “It’s too slow for where I need to be in a couple of months’ time,” he admitted. “But it’s not a setback.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th, 2012.