SYDNEY, May 12 (Reuters) - Australia's latest swimming sensation James Magnussen admits he quietly cursed when hearing Ian Thorpe was coming out of retirement, but is still confidently targeting Olympic gold in London next year.
Magnussen burst into the limelight last month when, a few days short of his 20th birthday, he won the 100 metres freestyle at the Australian championships in 48.29 seconds, still the best time of the year in the blue riband sprint.
That triumph, however, came a month after five-times Olympic champion Thorpe announced he was coming out of retirement and would be targeting the 100 and 200 metres for the London Olympics, a decision which would have caused more than just his compatriot to mutter a curse.
"I think anybody in the event would have (cursed), it's Ian Thorpe, you can't take him lightly and he's going to be a huge threat come next year," Magnussen told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.
"But all I can do is focus on my preparations and I've still got a lot of improvement in me so it will be an interesting race next year."
Magnussen will get a chance to see close-up how much Australia's most successful Olympian has improved since he returned to the pool when they train together in Australia next week.
"I'm super excited about training with Ian Thorpe. I trained with him about three months ago when he was going pretty quick," he said.
"I can only imagine he'll be super-quick this time but it's certainly a moment thinking I was a kid watching him win at Sydney and then to be training with him is a "pinch yourself" sort of moment, I can't believe it."
BIG IMPROVEMENTS
Intensive training will be Magnussen's life over the next 10 weeks as he prepares to take on the likes of Brazil's world 100 metres champion and world record holder Cesar Cielo at the world championships in Shanghai.
Although he is aware he will need further "big improvements" if he is to take on and beat the best, Magnussen is unperturbed by the prospect of going to China as one of the favourites.
"My journey in swimming over the last few years has been all about taking small steps and handling bigger pressures and I see this as just one more step towards London," he added.
"Certainly in terms of going in as favourite and handling a lot more pressure and expectation from back home, I'm looking forward to the challenge and I'm quietly confident."
Magnussen certainly does not lack confidence, seeing it as a necessary part of becoming a champion.
"One of the biggest challenges of swimming is handling that pressure and handling the expectations of other people," he said. "It definitely takes a self-confident person to make it at a higher level."
His confidence that he was heading in the right direction was boosted when he trained this week with Gennadi Touretski, the coach who is working with Thorpe and trained sprinters like Alex Popov and Michael Klim to huge success.
"It's been really interesting to get a different perspective on how we're travelling, he certainly brings a lot to the table in terms of what's been successful in the past," he said.
"He's talked a lot about what he did with Popov on what he did in the second 50 of the 100, which is also my main strength.
"It's really interesting to hear his theory on how to race the 100 which was similar to my coach's, which was comforting."
Magnussen was speaking at the announcement that Volley would be the official casual shoe of the Australian Olympic team in London, a routine enough event for more experienced athletes but significant for him.
"It's special," he said. "Obviously it's always been a goal of mine since I was a kid to make the Olympics. It's always seemed on the horizon but now to be wearing the shirt and the shoes that will be worn at the Olympics, it feels a bit more real."
As for his goal at the Olympic aquatics centre in London next year, that almost goes without saying.
"A few years ago, my goal would have been to make London, but, because of my fast progression, it's definitely a goal of mine to win a gold medal and certainly finish on the podium."
Magnussen burst into the limelight last month when, a few days short of his 20th birthday, he won the 100 metres freestyle at the Australian championships in 48.29 seconds, still the best time of the year in the blue riband sprint.
That triumph, however, came a month after five-times Olympic champion Thorpe announced he was coming out of retirement and would be targeting the 100 and 200 metres for the London Olympics, a decision which would have caused more than just his compatriot to mutter a curse.
"I think anybody in the event would have (cursed), it's Ian Thorpe, you can't take him lightly and he's going to be a huge threat come next year," Magnussen told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.
"But all I can do is focus on my preparations and I've still got a lot of improvement in me so it will be an interesting race next year."
Magnussen will get a chance to see close-up how much Australia's most successful Olympian has improved since he returned to the pool when they train together in Australia next week.
"I'm super excited about training with Ian Thorpe. I trained with him about three months ago when he was going pretty quick," he said.
"I can only imagine he'll be super-quick this time but it's certainly a moment thinking I was a kid watching him win at Sydney and then to be training with him is a "pinch yourself" sort of moment, I can't believe it."
BIG IMPROVEMENTS
Intensive training will be Magnussen's life over the next 10 weeks as he prepares to take on the likes of Brazil's world 100 metres champion and world record holder Cesar Cielo at the world championships in Shanghai.
Although he is aware he will need further "big improvements" if he is to take on and beat the best, Magnussen is unperturbed by the prospect of going to China as one of the favourites.
"My journey in swimming over the last few years has been all about taking small steps and handling bigger pressures and I see this as just one more step towards London," he added.
"Certainly in terms of going in as favourite and handling a lot more pressure and expectation from back home, I'm looking forward to the challenge and I'm quietly confident."
Magnussen certainly does not lack confidence, seeing it as a necessary part of becoming a champion.
"One of the biggest challenges of swimming is handling that pressure and handling the expectations of other people," he said. "It definitely takes a self-confident person to make it at a higher level."
His confidence that he was heading in the right direction was boosted when he trained this week with Gennadi Touretski, the coach who is working with Thorpe and trained sprinters like Alex Popov and Michael Klim to huge success.
"It's been really interesting to get a different perspective on how we're travelling, he certainly brings a lot to the table in terms of what's been successful in the past," he said.
"He's talked a lot about what he did with Popov on what he did in the second 50 of the 100, which is also my main strength.
"It's really interesting to hear his theory on how to race the 100 which was similar to my coach's, which was comforting."
Magnussen was speaking at the announcement that Volley would be the official casual shoe of the Australian Olympic team in London, a routine enough event for more experienced athletes but significant for him.
"It's special," he said. "Obviously it's always been a goal of mine since I was a kid to make the Olympics. It's always seemed on the horizon but now to be wearing the shirt and the shoes that will be worn at the Olympics, it feels a bit more real."
As for his goal at the Olympic aquatics centre in London next year, that almost goes without saying.
"A few years ago, my goal would have been to make London, but, because of my fast progression, it's definitely a goal of mine to win a gold medal and certainly finish on the podium."
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