James Magnussen has done the flashy front-running approach, now he's trying out laid back and low-key going into the world championships 100m freestyle final.
The defending champion booked his spot in Thursday night's decider in Barcelona but, surprisingly, clocked only the fourth-fastest time as he held back in Wednesday's semi-finals.
It came on a night when Australia added to a streak of silver medals with Christian Sprenger denied a golden double by a fingernail in the men's 50m breaststroke final.
Sprenger fell by one one-hundredth of a second to South African rival Cameron van der Burgh in the non-Olympic event, the Australian adding to his 100m gold medal won on Monday.
It took Australia's medal haul at the halfway mark of the meet to six, including five silver.
Magnussen is hoping to boost the gold tally in a final that will also feature promising Australian youngster Cameron McEvoy.
After earlier producing a sizzling time of 47.71 seconds in the heats, Magnussen was almost half a second slower in the semis.
He clocked 48.20 seconds behind American Nathan Adrian (47.95) - the man who beat him by 0.01 seconds at the London Olympic final - but Magnussen said he had plenty in reserve.
"I saw the first semi and it wasn't very fast so I thought I'd just go out a bit easier in the first 50," Magnussen said.
"I felt like it was reasonably controlled and felt pretty good."
At both the 2011 world titles and last year's Olympics Magnussen asserted his authority at every stage of competition, often building pressure by making big statements in the process.
But, in keeping with his new attitude after a humbling London experience, he's keen to palm off favouritism to Adrian in Spain.
"He's the Olympic champion, he's the fastest into the final so you'd want to keep your eye on him," Magnussen said.
Fellow title threats Vladimir Morozov (48.20) of Russia and Frenchman Fabien Gilot (48.21) also went through, while McEvoy was seventh-quickest in 48.43.
McEvoy, 19, also reached the 200m final on Tuesday, finishing seventh.
Sprenger looked set to clinch his second gold medal in the space of three days as he appeared to take a slender lead late in the 50m breaststroke final.
But better timing allowed Van der Burgh to turn the tables from the 100m as his 26.77 edged out Sprenger's personal best 26.78.
Sprenger said a slow start may have cost him but he was still thrilled with a second medal from as many events.
"It's a PB so I can't really break it down too much," Sprenger said.
Rising Australian distance star Jordan Harrison (7:47.38) produced an eye-catching swim to finish fifth in the non-Olympic 800m final behind Chinese superstar Sun Yang (7:41.36).
Kylie Palmer (1:57.14) was sixth in the women's 200m freestyle final, as American teenage star Missy Franklin (1:54.81) claimed her third gold medal of the meet by upstaging Italian great Federica Pellegrini (1:55.14).
Daniel Tranter (1:58.10) reached Thursday night's 200m individual medley final but Emily Seebohm (28.29) missed the women's 50m backstroke final.
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