James Magnussen searching for speed after third in Rome

Dual world 100m freestyle champion James Magnussen has one meet left to post a fast time on his European tour.

James Magnussen swimming in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay for Australia at last year’s Rio Olympics. Picture. Phil Hillyard

Dual world 100m freestyle champion James Magnussen is searching for speed and has only one more opportunity to find it on the European tour that he regards as his proper comeback from a shoulder reconstruction two years ago.

Magnussen, who skipped the national trials in April, had hoped to put up a competitive time in Europe because he will not be at next month’s world titles.

However he has struggled to find his top gear in the first four meets of a five-meet tour that will end at the French Open in Chartres next week.

He finished third in the 100m freestyle at the Sette Colli Trophy in Rome yesterday in a time of 48.77sec that left him unimpressed with his form.

“I just felt sluggish tonight,’’ he said. “I just wasn’t feeling it. It’s one of those things I guess. No one was going (fast).’’

If he sought divine intervention from the Pope leading into the race, it did not turn out quite as he had hoped.

Magnussen was one of a large group of swimmers, including his teammates Cameron McEvoy and Mack Horton, who were given a personal audience with Pope Francis on the weekend.

“That was amazing, pretty surreal,’’ Magnussen said. “I’ve grown up a Catholic my whole life and to see the Pope is something I will definitely treasure for the rest of my life. My mum’s a teacher in a Catholic school and both my parents are Catholics so they were pretty amazed I got to shake his hand. They are really happy.’’

He said he felt “a bit weird’’ missing the world titles but was intent on getting out a fast time in France.

Young Czech sprinter Dominik Kozma took a close-fought win in 48.68 sec from Brazil’s Bruno Fratus (48.75sec), Magnussen and McEvoy (48.92sec).

McEvoy, who is preparing for the world titles in Budapest, is another who hasn’t found his speed yet. However neither has the man who heads this year’s world rankings, Briton Duncan Scott (fifth in 48.93sec). Scott (47.90sec) and McEvoy (47.91sec) are the only men under 48 seconds so far this year, although that could change at the US trials in Indianapolis this week.

Other Australians on the podium in Rome were: Rio Olympian Kotuku Ngawati in the 200m individual medley (third in 2:12.18) and Sian Whittaker in the 200m backstroke (second in 2:10.65).