Ian Thorpe fares slightly better at Italian meet
Ian Thorpe fared slightly better on the second day of the Italian Winter Championships, although he still has a long way to go to qualify for Australia's Olympic squad.
Thorpe finished 10th overall in the 200-metre freestyle Saturday, clocking 1 minute, 51.51 seconds.
Sebastiaan Verschuren of the Netherlands led the event in 1:48.20.
Thorpe finished third in his heat behind Italy's Cesare Sciocchetti and Andrea Mitchell D'Arrigo, although he was two spots ahead of veteran Italian standout Massimiliano Rosolino.
Thorpe won the 200 free at the 2004 Athens Games and took silver four years earlier in Sydney.
American standout Ryan Lochte won the 200 free in 1:44.44 at this year's world championships in Shanghai.
In the first long-course meet of his comeback, Thorpe finished 16th overall Friday in the 100 free.
Having announced his comeback in February, Thorpe also struggled at short-course World Cup meets in Singapore, Beijing and Tokyo last month.
The Australian Olympic trials take place in March.