Speedy Trickett chases gold to confirm status
SYDNEY (Reuters) - The world records, world titles and stack of medals are testimony that Australia's Libby Trickett is the fastest woman in water.
The only thing missing is an individual Olympic gold medal. She won relay gold in Athens four years ago but Beijing represents her best chance to climb the winner's podium alone.
Trickett, who was Libby Lenton until she married breaststroker Luke Trickett in 2007, is entered in five events in Beijing - 50 and 100 meters freestyle, 100 butterfly and two three relays.
The 23-year-old has genuine hopes of winning them all after collecting five golds at last year's world championships in Melbourne but a bitter experience four years ago means she is taking nothing for granted.
She was the favorite to win the 100 at Athens after breaking Inge de Bruijn's world record during the Australian trials before nerves got the better of her and she failed to make the final.
The relay gold and bronze in the 50 was of little consolation.
She won her first individual world title in the 50 at the 2005 world championships then surpassed her Australian team mate Jodie Henry, who won the gold and broke her world record at Athens, as the world's fastest sprinter the following year.
She won five golds at the Commonwealth Games, five more at the short-course world championships and another five at last year's long-course world championships, including all three individual events she entered.
Trickett was taught to swim in Townsville, in tropical north Queensland, and competed in her first race at the age of four.
It was not until she moved to Brisbane in 1996 that she started to take swimming seriously under the guidance of coach Stephan Widmer.
Still not satisfied after she won five world titles last year, Widmer ordered Trickett to undergo a series of strength tests that revealed she had a slight weakness in her gluteal muscles that was affecting her kick.
So she spent the rest of the year doing what nearly every other woman in Australia was desperately trying to avoid -- building up her backside.
Trickett's new regime was an instant hit and she broke the 50 (23.97 seconds) and 100 (52.88) freestyle world records at the Australian Olympic trials in March to head to Beijing in a buoyant mood to win that elusive gold medal.
(Editing by Robert Woodward)
