Will James Magnussen Become The First Man To Hold Three Consecutive World Titles in 100 Freestyle?

James Magnussen

Two of Australia’s top medal contenders for the world championships are dealing with injuries that are likely to affect their competition plans this summer.

As if Emily Seebohm’s knee dislocation wasn’t enough cause for panic by Swimming Australia, now James Magnussen is dealing with an increasingly serious cartilage tear in his shoulder.

In an article in The Australian, Magnussen’s coach Mitch Falvey said the subscapular tear in Magnussen’s left shoulder has been an issue for a few months, and the severity of the tear rears its head when Magnussen performs at a high intensity.

It’s likely that Magnussen will not attend any meets on the Mare Nostrum series next month, regarded as one of the final elite-level races before the summer’s biggest meets, as he and Falvey look for options that will not mean withdrawing from the world championships.

Magnussen is attempting to become the first man to win three consecutive world titles in the 100 freestyle after taking the crowns in 2011 and 2013. (Alexander Popov won three 100 free titles in 1994, 1998 and 2003.) Magnussen has been plagued with injuries since making his breakthrough at the 2011 worlds, including back pain and other shoulder problems.

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