MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe has finally had some success in his comeback, qualifying for the 200-meter freestyle final Saturday in the Victorian state championships.
The 29-year-old Thorpe, who retired in November 2006, finished third in his heat in 1 minute, 51.08 seconds, about 1.2 seconds behind the leader and fourth-fastest overall ahead of the night final.
Thorpe, who announced a comeback to swimming nearly a year ago, will have the best chance of qualifying for the London Olympics in the 200, either individually or as a member of the Australian 800 relay team. He failed to qualify for the 100 final Friday after managing only the 13th-best time in the heats.
