Former world champion and Olympic silver medallist James Magnussen has opened his summer of swimming with a win in the men's 100m freestyle final at the Victorian Open Championships in a time of 49.35.
After a nine-month break following shoulder surgery, Friday night was a test for the 24-year-old to see where he was at in his recovery.
Magnussen remained controlled over the two laps, hanging on to take the top spot ahead of Kenneth To who was hot on his heels in 49.68 with Dan Smith rounding out the top three in 49.89.
With Kyle Chalmers posting a 49.30 for the 100m freestyle at the South Australian titles and Cameron McEvoy's 48.01 at the Queensland event in December, these early-season times signal a battle brewing in the men's blue riband event that will culminate at the Australian championships in April.
Also impressing on the opening night of finals, 18-year-old Georgia Bohl is proving her potential after clocking a speedy 1:06.98 for the 100m breaststroke at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.
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Bohl's time was quick enough to move up the ranks in the Australian all-time top 10 for the event from 10th to sixth overall, mixing it with the best and putting her in contention in the race to this year's Rio Olympic Games.
