Open water swimmer Rhys Mainstone is considered one of Australian swimming’s brightest prospects.
However he admits he under-performed when he missed qualifying for this year’s Olympics.
But far from dwelling on the pain of missing the Games, Mainstone instead fed off London, using his disappointment as fuel and the footage as reconnaissance.
‘‘It was very close and very disappointing at the time and it certainly has driven me,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s a long process, but this year it was good to watch the Olympics and see what my competitors do.
‘‘I have (the Olympic race) recorded and I replay it a lot of the time, so I’ve got a good insight into what a lot of them do.
‘‘I think it’s going to drive me further over the next four years going into the Rio Olympics.’’
Mainstone rebounded from his pre-London stumble with a passion, taking this year’s national title, before winning both a 3.8km individual and 25.7km team event at the Waikiki Roughwater Swim event in Hawaii last month.
But it will be today that gives the 22-year-old the best gauge of how far he has progressed following a solid six-month training block when he tackles the final leg of the FINA World Cup circuit in Hong Kong.
Mainstone flew out on Friday for the event and will back up with another 10km event in Shantou, China, on Saturday.
Mainstone said his goal was priming his strategy for February’s nationals, which double as selection trials for the FINA world championships in Barcelona, but that he was equally focused on the win.
‘‘I’m feeling really good and I have a lot of trust in the work I’ve been doing in the pool and hoping I’ll reap the rewards of that,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve got a few tactics and race plans I want to implement, which I need to improve on.
‘‘It’s more of a learning curve so that if I do get selected for the world championships team I’ve got more tricks in my bag.
‘‘But I’m also going there to win the races and I believe I can.’’