Exclusive Daily Telegraph pictures show that Thorpe was back in training at the Sutherland Leisure Centre with his coach Tracey Menzies on Monday- less than a day after arriving from his three-month sojourn in Los Angeles.

The five-time Olympic gold medal winner spent most of the Australian winter training in LA in preparation for his return to major competition at next year's Melbourne world championships in March.

Thorpe has not competed at a major international meeting since the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

He is now gearing up for a comeback at December's world championship selection trials in Brisbane.

It has been a testing year for the swimming superstar, who pulled out of the Commonwealth Games with glandular fever before a broken hand in April further delayed his comeback plans.

Australian head swimming coach Alan Thompson said yesterday he planned to meet Thorpe in Sydney on Thursday to discuss his preparation for the trials, where he is expected to contest the 100m and 200m freestyle.

Menzies said Thorpe could return to his best in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"I'm sure like any athlete there's a lot of work that's got to go in, I'll just have to assess in the next couple of weeks really where we're at and what we need to do," she said.

"But the big picture's Beijing so that's what we're working towards."