Missile seeks a low profile
JAMES Magnussen wants to be known for one thing – swimming fast.
Part o f the notorious 4x100m freestyle team for the London Olympics, Magnussen relished being back in the pool at the three-day NSW titles, which finished on Sunday.
The individual 100m silver medallist logged four sub49sec times in individual and relay swims.
He clocked his best times of 48.55 and 47.76 as the anchor man in a relay for his club.
Magnussen, who is very conscious of people’s perceptions of him being a ‘‘stuff-up’’, was one of four members of the London relay team swimming at the titles.
It was the first time members of the relay team had competed since the February 22 press conference where five of the six admitted taking the banned substance Stilnox at a pre-Olympic camp last year and owned up to playing childish pranks on teammates.
Magnussen gave one terse, 20- second press conference last Friday, but was in a more relaxed and expansive mood after his final swim on Sunday.
‘‘It has probably taken me the three days of this meet to be comfortable again in a public setting,’’ Magnussen said.
‘‘ I’m still really self conscious about everything that’s happened and about people’s perceptions of me and what went on.
‘‘I’m just trying to get back to being recognised for what I got into swimming for – and that was for swimming fast, not for being a celebrity or for being a stuff up.’’
Magnussen is convinced he has plenty of scope f or improvement heading into next month’s national championship and world championship qualifiers in Adelaide.
‘‘We’re doing a lot of hard work at the moment.
‘‘I know that I will drop at least a second off that (100m time),’’ Magnussen said.
‘‘But I think the last little things that I’ve got to work on is the skills and my starts.
‘‘I’m a little sluggish at the moment but that will come with freshening up.
‘‘Then I’ve still got almost a second to drop off that 50m before I get back down to my full top-end speed.
‘‘So that first 50 in the 100m will go a lot quicker yet.’’
He will contest the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle in Adelaide.