http://www.sportal.com.au/news-display/thorpe-still-has-life-in-the-pool-216281

Thorpe still has 'life in the pool'
4/1/2013

Champion swimmer Ian Thorpe still believes he has a future in the pool despite failing to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics. The 30-year-old Australian cited his short preparation time as the reason for his failed comeback last year and is confident he could still swim at the elite level. "I still have a life in the pool," Thorpe told the BBC. "I simply didn't have enough time (before London) to prepare the way I wanted to and I had to compromise. "Now I can do exactly the training that I need to do with time on my side and I can get a preparation that will enable me to swim really well." Thorpe could make his return at the Australian trials in April and May if he seeks to qualify for the World Championships held in Barcelona between July and August.
Australian swimming coach Leigh Nugent said it was 'a big ask' for the five-time Olympic champion to return to his peak form. "Ian is such an enigmatic character and a brilliant athlete, but if you really haven't got that gut burning desire to do it well then maybe you have to look at other things," Nugent told the BBC. "His heart is in swimming but whether it's in the type of work that he needs to do to get where he'd like to be remains to be seen." It is believed that Thorpe would be only be racing over the next two years and while this will include the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, it is unlikely he will race at the 2016 Brazil Olympics at the age of 33. "It would be nice to allow myself to come full circle in my swimming career," Thorpe said. "I've gone from a child who loved what they did, to really having that taken away from me and then being told I'm too old and too tired (when attempting a comeback). "Having success again would be what that younger athlete I once was would tell me to do."