At just 17, Illawarra swimmer Jarrod Poort could join the ranks of Australian Olympic legends Kieren Perkins, Grant Hackett and Glen Housman.
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Poort lines up tonight as the second fastest qualifier for the 1500m freestyle final, having sliced three seconds off his personal best in the preliminary race.
He has already made his mark as an emerging long-distance swimming superstar, winning the 5km open water championship in Perth earlier this year.
Having also finished second in the 10km event behind ironman champion Ky Hurst - who will represent Australia over the distance in London - Poort is now aiming to become Australia's latest 1500m champion.
"He has a tremendous work ethic," Poort's Wollongong-based coach Ron McKeon said.
"Jarrod is seen as a really bright hope in open water swimming and he has shown his ability in the pool at this meet too.
"He's only 17, but has a great amount of ability."
Perkins won gold at the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics and silver in Sydney in 2000, while Housman was second at the 1996 Games.
Hackett took over the mantle from Perkins, winning in Sydney and then again in Athens in 2004.
While Poort's destiny may be in his success over long distances, he has shown his potential at the Adelaide trials by finishing second to David McKeon over the non-Olympic 800m distance - in a time nine seconds quicker than he had achieved previously.
"He wasn't really extended in the 800m either," Ron McKeon said.
"I asked him to swim the race as if it was the first 800m of a 1500m race, so after David had the early pace, Jarrod was leading the distance guys trying to reel him in.
"The 1500m is an easy distance for him, he just needs to drop a gear and see how fast it takes him."
David McKeon has already qualified for the London Olympics after winning the 400m freestyle final at the trials.
Also chasing a ticket to London tonight in the 1500m is fellow Illawarra swimmer Robert Hurley, who now trains with the Sydney Olympic Park club.
Hurley was third in the 400m final and seventh in the 200m final, narrowly missing out on a place in the Australian team on both occasions.
Queenslander Matthew Levings is the fastest qualifier tonight, seven seconds ahead of Poort, in 15.24.95 and almost 10 seconds in front of Hurley in the heat.
Ron McKeon predicted it would come down to a mental battle between the trio.
"It's an interesting field, it will be a bit of a mind game," McKeon said.
"You've got a fairly experienced campaigner in Hurley and two young guns trying to push each other."
The first two to finish will be on the plane to London.