The manager of five-time Olympic gold medallist Ian Thorpe has not ruled out the prospect of the Australian star returning to action at the 2012 Games in London.

Reports in Australia claim that 27-year-old Thorpe, who quit the sport in 2006, has met with other Australian sprinters to discuss a possible return in the 4×100 metres relay in two years’ time.

Thorpe’s manager Dave Flaskas was quoted in the same newspaper as saying: ‘I guess it’s one of those ‘never say never’ situations.

‘Nothing is impossible, but as far as I’m aware there is nothing startling planned for the immediate future. But he is in great shape, he’s lost a lot of weight and is still swimming.

‘It would make a great story.’

Thorpe won three gold medals on home soil in Sydney in 2000 as a 17-year-old in
the 400m freestyle, the 4×100m freestyle relay and the 4×200m freestyle relay.

He then added to his collection of golds in Athens in 2004 in the 200m and 400m
freestyle and has claimed nine Olympic medals in total.
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American Olympic superstars Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff won 400-yard individual medleys on Sunday night at the Long Beach Grand Prix.

Phelps finished in three minutes 38.42 seconds, about a second behind his preliminary time but well ahead of second-place finisher Hidemasa Sano, who touched in 3:39.63. Todd Patrick was third in 3:45.54 at the Belmont Plaza Olympic Pool.

Phelps won the 500-yard freestyle on Saturday as he continues getting back in competition shape. The 14-time Olympic gold medallist is entered in two more events at the short-course meet, which he hopes will help prepare him for the U.S. nationals in August.

Hoff, who has a silver and bronze from the Olympics, won the 400 IM in 4:04.39 to break Kaitlin Sandeno’s meet record of 4:05.86 set in 2008. Ariana Kukors was second in 4:06.05, and Felicia Lee was third in 4:12.53.

Hoff could have made it a double had she been able to run down Dana Vollmer in the 200-yard freestyle earlier in the night. The American record-holder finished in 1:43.29, while Hoff finished in 1:44.48. Elizabeth Pelton touched in third.

Matt Grevers won the first of his two races Sunday when he finished the 200-yard freestyle in 1:34.98, with Todd Patrick second and Dominik Meichtry third. Grevers, part of two Olympic champion relay teams, then held off Masayu Kishida and to win the 50 free.

Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Soni captured the women’s 400-yard breaststroke in 2:05.90, shattering the meet record of 2:07.94 set by Tara Kirk in 2008. Kukors was second, nearly four seconds off the pace, with Andrea Kropp in third.

Three-time Olympic gold medallist Kosuke Kitajima won the men’s 200-yard breaststroke in a meet-record 1:53.03, well ahead of Mike Alexandrov and Paul Kornfield.

Madison Kennedy held off Volmer and Kara Joyce to win the women’s 50-yard freestyle.
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Libby Trickett has announced that she has retired from competitive swimming.

The triple Olympic gold medallist won eight world championship gold medals and is a former world record holder.

“It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for almost a year now, and after much consideration and speaking with my family and close friends I know that I am ready to move on to the next stage of my life and career,” Trickett told a media conference at North Sydney Pool.

“Swimming is such a great sport to be involved with and has been a huge part of my life for such a long time.

“Through swimming I’ve been able to travel the world doing something that I love and this great sport has provided me with so many fantastic memories and opportunities.

“I would like to thank everyone for their fantastic support throughout my career, especially my family and coaches Stephan Widmer and Grant Stoelwinder.”

Trickett had not been back in training since the controversial Rome World Championships in August – the titles farcically dominated by polyurethane swimsuits – and the 24-year-old admitted she was pondering her future.

Last week at a sponsors’ launch, she announced that a decision on whether she would continue or quit was imminent, as it had reached “crunch time” with the selection trials for next year’s Commonwealth Games just three months away.

“A decision does need to be made in the next few weeks. It’s really important for me to do that. I do feel like I am getting closer, but I want to make sure I’m making the right decision, whatever that may be. I need to take my time and I’ve been really enjoying my break and doing lots of different things,” she said last Monday.

“I’m trying to swim at least once a week and I’m trying to keep fit and active, because I love the feeling of being healthy. But you want to have good preparation for [selection] trials coming up in March, so, while I’ve tried not to rush it, it is crunch time and I do need to make a decision.”

She added that the decision was “incredibly difficult”, because swimming had been a part of her life for as long as she could remember, it was a huge part of who she is, she still loved the sport and was “so passionate about it”.
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Chinese world champion Zhang Lin said here on Wednesday that he plans to train in the United States next year.

Zhang Lin of China reacts after winning the men’s 800m freestyle swimming final at the World Championships in Rome July 29, 2009.

Zhang, 22, became the first Chinese male swimmer to win world title when he cruised to victory in the 800m free event at the World Championships in Rome in July. He also grabbed a silver medalist in the 400m freestyle at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

Zhang, who is competing in the Asian championships here, said he has benefited from previous training spell in Australia under renowned coach Dennis Cotterell, whose protege includes Aussie great Grant Hackett.

“I’ve learned a lot from Dennis and improved a lot in recent years. The most important thing is that I’ve become more confident after training together with foreign swimmers,” he said.

“I wish to change a training base next year, moving somewhere in the U.S., because I think it can bring me more enthusiasm. I expect to engage with the swimming world as U.S. swimming is No. 1 in the world,” added the Beijing native.

However, Zhang may have problems in hiring a world-class coach in the United States.

“As far as we know, most of the best American coaches work in the universities while it’s impossible for me to apply for university studies in a short time,” said Zhang.

“I wish to find a famous coach who works in the local club which can accept foreign swimmers to train with them.”

“Next year’s Asian Games is the sole big event for me in the near future, so I wish to learn more from other foreign swimmers,” Zhang said.

The Asian Championships take place from November 21 to 28, and Zhang only enters 200m freestyle.
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A suburban swim club accused of discrimination last summer after revoking the memberships of mostly black and Hispanic children plans to declare bankruptcy, a newspaper reported Saturday.

Valley Swim Club president John Duesler sent an e-mail to club “friends and families” Friday saying the board of directors had voted to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy this week, The Philadelphia Daily News reported.

Duesler wrote in the e-mail that many would blame the bankruptcy on legal proceedings and negative media exposure, the newspaper said. But, he said, “the truth is that the club has struggled to stay out of the red for at least the last decade” and owes more than $100,000 in operational expenses and legal fees, the newspaper reported.

Duesler declined to comment to The Associated Press on Saturday.

Members “are all tired and beaten down and just sickened by how our club has been improperly portrayed,” he said, according to the Daily News. “After speaking to many members, my sense is that mostly everyone wants to move on.”

The Creative Steps day camp had arranged for the youngsters to swim at the Huntingdon Valley club each Monday during the summer. But during the first visit in June by 56 children — 46 black and 10 Hispanic — two children reported hearing racial comments, and the day camp’s payment was later refunded, according to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

The commission said in a decision in September that it had found probable cause to conclude that the campers were asked not to return because of the “racial animus” expressed by one member and “racially coded comments” by other members.

“I am taken aback right now. It really comes as a surprise,” Creative Steps director Alethea Wright told the AP on Saturday when told about the reported bankruptcy plans.

Brian Mildenberg, an attorney for the children in a lawsuit against the swim club, told the AP the bankruptcy filing puts a temporary stay, or hold, on the suit filed against the club.

“However, the human relations discrimination proceedings, as well as the lawsuits, would be allowed to proceed if the bankruptcy court grants relief,” Mildenberg said.

The Valley Club has maintained that the number of children exceeded the number of lifeguards on duty and that only a few of the children knew how to swim. A club attorney said it had offered to reinstate the campers for the rest of the summer or guarantee them free memberships next year.

The state commission, however, said other large groups that came to the swim club did not elicit a similar reaction, and the club had no black members among 334 paid memberships for the last two years.
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Great Britain triathlete and Leatherhead Swimming Club member Richard Stannard broke two European and five British masters records at the British Gas ASA Masters & Senior Age Group Swimming Championships in Sheffield last weekend.

He competed in five events – the 1,500m, 800m, 400m, 200m freestyle and the 200m butterfly.

Stannard took gold and set records in every event.

He said: “It has been an amazing weekend. I was hit by a car earlier this year while training on my bicycle, breaking both my pelvis and my hand.

“It wiped out my triathlon season, and made training impossible.

“I had to change my focus. It’s been very hard and to start my comeback with a weekend like this, breaking so many records, is fantastic.

“I start running and cycling next week in preparation for next year’s triathlon season.

“I just hope my injuries have healed sufficiently and I do not suffer any further problems from the crash.”

l Leatherhead Swimming Club’s younger members scooped 17 medals at the Guildford Invitational Sprint Gala last week at Guildford Spectrum.

The biggest haul was made by nine-year old Alicia Wilson with three golds, for the 50m breaststroke (47.81s), 50m butterfly (40.40s) and 50m backstroke (41.42), as well as a silver for the 50m freestyle (36.23s).

There were also gold medal successes for nine-year-old Jamie Wilks (50m freestyle), 10-year-old Emma Brown (50m freestyle), plus 12-year-olds Suzanne Norman (50m butterfly) and Chris Green (50m breaststroke).
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While the Cameron van der Burgh/Roland Schoeman swim speed show is set to draw the crowds to the Fina Swimming World Cup in Durban on Saturday and Sunday, a host of other swim stars and rising talent could also add to the competitive mix.

With $10 000 for each world record set during the five-leg World Cup circuit, Van der Burgh – holder of the 50 metres (25.43 seconds) and 100m breaststroke (55.99) world marks – may be dreaming of seizing the moment yet again, but his form on the day, as well as the vibe at Kings Park Aquatic Centre, will be the deciding factor.

“I will only know if the world record attempt is on when I dive from the start blocks into the water,” said van der Burgh, whose top-placed points finish in last year’s World Cup series earned him the $100 000 prize.

“There are so many factors to consider. If the crowd inside the venue is large and make enough noise, then it’s a great motivation to a swimmer.

“I will only know on the day from the way I feel when I wake up, until I hit the water, whether a record attempt is on.”

US-based Neil Versfeld will be jetting into Durban to compete in his first World Cup event in SA in four years and goes into the breaststroke races as second fastest to Van der Burgh.