time Olympic gold medallist Ian Thorpe's comeback again stalled Friday when he failed to qualify for the 100m freestyle final in his first competitive swim in Australia since 2006. Thorpe, 29, announced a return to action in February last year following his retirement in November 2006 after winning five Olympic gold medals and 11 world titles. But it has been a rocky road with his modest times a shadow of his former achievements, throwing into doubt his ability to qualify for the London Olympics with the Australian trials fast-approaching in March. Thorpe, who swam the 13th quickest time of 51.05 seconds well behind fastest qualifier Matt Targett who clocked 48.86, played down his lack of form. “It's too slow for where I need to be in a couple of months' time,” he admitted, but insisted: “It's not a setback ... I think nothing of this.” Another Olympic champion on the comeback trail, Michael Klim, qualified seventh for the final with a time of 50.15. A sluggish Thorpe turned last at 50m and could only make up one place on the way home, recording a slower time than the 50.84 he swam in Italy last month and a long way from his best of 48.56, swum in 2004. He will contest the 200m in Melbourne Saturday. Also making an Australian comeback Friday was triple Olympic champion Libby Trickett who qualified third fastest for the women's 100m freestyle final. Evans to step up Four-time Olympic gold medallist Janet Evans will step up her comeback bid with two races this week at the Austin Grand Prix swimming meeting. Evans, a teenage Olympic superstar at the 1988 Seoul Games, is now a 40-year-old mother of two aiming to test herself against the latest crop of top international swimmers. In Austin she'll swim the 400m and 800m freestyle, hoping she can move closer to securing a London Games berth. Evans tested herself in June, when her return to racing saw her set Masters age group world records in the 400m and 800m freestyles. Evans was 17 when she set a 400m freestyle world record and took three gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. She also won 800m free gold at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
