Wollongong's David McKeon claimed a 200m freestyle victory as Olympic gold medal winner Grant Hackett made an encouraging start in his bid to qualify for Australia's squad for the 2016 Rio Games.

Hackett swam in three events at a qualifying meet at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre on the weekend - his first competitive outing since the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

The 34-year-old triple Olympic gold medallist swam the 200m, 400m and 100m freestyle events, with his 400m time suggesting his Rio ambitions are real. He clocked an impressive 3:55.68 in the start-to-finish victory, a time which would have been enough to qualify for the final at last year's Australian titles.

He finished behind 2012 Olympian McKeon in the 200m, clocking a 1:50.68 to McKeon's 1:47.86. - AAP