Swimming: Thorpe's moment of truth arrives

Ian Thorpe. Photo / Getty Images.

Ian Thorpe's moment of truth has arrived but the veteran swimmer has been warned there's a fearless crop of youngsters hungry to dash his Olympic comeback dream.

And a leader of the bunch of emerging talent says Thorpe will be treated as just another rival, rather than an awe-inspiring Olympic hero.

Thorpe's comeback hits a peak tomorrow at the Adelaide selection trials for the London Games.

The five-time Olympic gold medallist is seeking an individual or relay berth in the 200 metres freestyle, an event currently ruled in Australia by Thomas Fraser-Holmes.

And the 20-year-old Fraser-Holmes said he would treat 29-year-old Thorpe as simply another competitor to be beaten.

"What he's done is incredible,'' Fraser-Holmes said on Thursday.

"But no offence, that was a couple of years ago.

"And we're all young and hungry and we all want to go to London, so we're all fighting for the same thing.''

Of the 10 top qualifiers for the 200m at trials, only two are aged over 21 and three are teenagers - Cameron McEvoy, David McKeon and Ned McKendry.

Fraser-Holmes, the reigning Australian 200m freestyle champion, said he would ignore Thorpe's air of confidence when they cross paths.

"When you see him on pool deck, there is a big aura about him - and you can see why, he's a big fella,'' he said.

"I don't read too much into that.

"He's just another swimmer that I have got to race against.

"We have got to go out there and do our own race and if we beat Ian Thorpe, we beat him; if we don't, we don't.''

Fellow 200m hopeful Ryan Napoleon, 21, was similarly unfazed.

"It's going to be good but it's not like I'm going to be intimidated by him or anything,'' Napoleon said.

"When he was in his prime, I think I was 14 ... so I'm not going to be too bothered about what he was doing then, it's all about what he's doing now.''

Australian head coach Leigh Nugent wasn't convinced, however, that Thorpe's aura would not be a factor come race time.

"I think in the case of huge personalities and names like (Michael) Phelps and Ian, Susie O'Neill maybe ..... their history and their unknown or known factors, are the things that maybe people succumb to that pressure and don't do what they need to do,'' Nugent said.

Thorpe admitted to nerves and uncertainty upon fronting the media in Adelaide yesterday, but said he was as confident as he had been since returning to the pool.

While his physical transformation has been easy to see, Nugent also noted a mental shift since Thorpe arrived in Perth last week to finalise his preparations.

"He came to Perth with a different demeanour,'' Nugent said.

"It's the business end of the preparation and he know he's done what he can.''

Should Thorpe progress through Friday's heats and semi-finals, he would reach Saturday night's final, where a top two finish would earn him an individual berth and top six would have him considered as a relay swimmer.

He's also entered in the 100m freestyle, starting Sunday.

- AAP