In a bit of a “tit-for-tat” move, Australian National Team head coach Leigh Nugent may have found a way to get Libby Trickett into the Shanghai World Championships afterall. Trickett announced that she was coming out of a short retirement in September of 2010: seemingly coaxed to do so by former youth coach Nugent after he took over the reigns of the senior program.
There was a caveat to her return, however. After officially retiring, and therefor pulling herself out of the drug testing pool, Trickett had to be available for random tests for 9 months before participating in any FINA Championship event or Championship qualifying event. Unlike the Americans, Australia is having their World Championship trials the year of the event; specifically March 16-21. In March, Trickett will still be a few months short of her 9-month waiting period, and thus will not be eligible. This seemingly left Trickett shooting for London 2012.
But in stepped coach Leigh Nugent with a stroke of genius. Australia will be holding a separate trial to pick the 6th participant in their relays at the end of June, just weeks after Trickett becomes eligible again. Even without the 9-month moratorium, this is a brilliant idea, as it gives swimmers the opportunity to show improvement and training just 2-weeks prior to the World Championships, rather than 3 months.
Although she still won’t be able to swim individually in Shanghai, this new rule leaves an opening for the 6-time Olympic medalist to grab a few relay spots. This would be huge for an Australia program that had a bit of a rough 2010 while waiting for an incredible class of teenage stars to mature. Trickett was the standalone female superstar of the 2007 Championships, where she won 5 gold medals as a sprint freestyler and butterflier.
Trickett will turn 26 next Friday, just in time to participate in the Australian Summer Swim Series event. Trickett is currently in Mexico doing some altitude training.
Super! …mate.