Sunk Thorpedo had enough time, Ginn

Excuses that Ian Thorpe didn't give himself enough training time to qualify for the London Games doesn't wash with triple Olympic rowing champion Drew Ginn.



Thorpe and fellow comeback swimmers Michael Klim and Geoff Huegill all missed Olympic selection by flopping at the trials in Adelaide this past week.

Five-time gold medallist Thorpe agreed with the prevailing view he failed because his 13-month build-up wasn't long enough to get up to speed.

But Ginn, who made a comeback of his own in this Olympic cycle after taking two years off rowing as he recovered from delicate back surgery, labelled that as bunk.

The 37-year-old strongly believes older athletes only need sixmonths of full-on hard training to return to their best.

"Having watched all the swimming last week and hearing 'oh they needed another year or two years', sorry to say it, I reckon that's bullshit," he told AAP.

"I believe the older athletes are actually capable of being as good as they've ever been.

"You can get yourself back to the right level very, very quickly. It's being able then to manage yourself then close to the ceiling.

"If you overdo it and try to do too much in any one stage then your performance will drop off.

"The notion of another 12 months, I don't think that should make a difference."

Ginn made the argument as he hopes Rowing Australia's selectors keep the faith in his Beijing gold medal-winning partner Duncan Free, who is sidelined by a rib cartilage injury.

With Free needing a month before returning to light training, his London Games hopes are hanging by a thread.

But Ginn believes the 38-year-old Gold Coaster, who also sustained a badly broken leg last year, had done enough before his rib injury to stay in contention for selection in the men's four priority boat.

"For me his ability to peak in London is not an issue," he said.

"With someone like Duncan, don't try and get him back to the ceiling too quickly and when you get him there you've got to give him time to recover."


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Source: AAP


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