Thorpe racing against the clock in bid to get back to winning ways

SINGAPORE: Ian Thorpe's comeback has never been about racing Michael Phelps or James Magnussen. His biggest rival has been, and continues to be, the clock. Not the stopwatch, but the time he has to return his form to a point somewhere near where it once was.

Exactly what does Thorpe's return in Singapore tell us? He looks fit, he's enjoying the sport, he still has amazing drawing power for media and fans, but did it really have any bearing on whether he can make the Olympic team for London?

Watching the once seemingly unbeatable swimmer finish second last in one final and miss qualifying for another was not unexpected as only the fans expected miracles.

But the question that remained most relevant was will he have enough time to become fast again by the Olympic trials in March?

Thorpe said on Saturday that while it probably should take three years for a swimmer to get back to his best after taking off the amount of time he had, he was trying to fast-track it and was ''comfortable'' he could do it. So, too, was his coach.

''Of course,'' Gennadi Touretski said. ''It's enough time. Even shorter time it would be enough.''

National head coach Leigh Nugent said he couldn't really judge, but added that if Touretski said there was enough time ''then I will back him''.

Nugent admitted though that when Thorpe first contacted him about a comeback bid, about a year ago, he had his doubts.

''When I first started working with him and you get over … him saying: 'I'm going to start again', you questioned whether you're going to have long enough,'' Nugent said.

''But you'd never question his commitment, if he says he's going to do it, he's going to do it and he's demonstrated, obviously when you look at him physically, that he's committed himself. In his training when he first started, I thought this is going to be a pretty hard job and now when I see him swim, it just proves to you that great athletes can return to what they are good at, relatively quickly …

''But for him it was never just about 2012, it was beyond 2012. Obviously 2012 is a pretty big stepping stone along the way and that's got to be the primary goal but initially he talked beyond.

''You couldn't gauge anything from this. It was more about opening up the competitive part of his preparation and probably swimming something immeasurable. His freestyle looks really good, the little bit we saw of it, and I hope he swims freestyle in Tokyo.

''We weren't really sure of what to make of things here. The whole thing was about him getting on the blocks and starting.

''You can see when he races he really is unfamiliar with the competitive environment and can't get to the walls on the right stroke, even when he pushes off, his underwater work is all right, but he's a bit unsure when he has to break out … but that's a familiarity thing. I am sure in Beijing he will be much better.''

Nugent said after the World Cup had concluded in Beijing and Tokyo this week, Thorpe would return to hard training and hopefully swim at least four longcourse events, competing in 100-metre and 200m freestyle, before the trials.

Australia will get its first live look at him in December. He will take part in a training camp and the Victorian championships.

Nugent said one thing that impressed him at the weekend was the way Thorpe handled something he has never been used to - not being a big player in races.

''I think it's been significant,'' he said. ''Someone who has done what he has done in the past and being so public, to get up and do it again in a situation where everything is unknown is pretty daunting. It doesn't matter how accomplished you are, or maybe the more accomplished you are, it might even be harder. But he's been good.''

Touretski said Thorpe's fitness and technique needed improvement. And asked if we would see the great Ian Thorpe again, Touretski said: ''Yes, of course. But I will say that. I am a coach.''