Sprinter Libby Trickett, the first women to crack 53sec over 100m freestyle, has announced her return to the pool after just nine months of retirement. Under anti-doping rules, she must now wait nine months before she can compete under FINA rules and will therefore miss Shanghai 2011 world titles, the London 2012 Olympic Games the next big long-course target open to her.

Australian trials for Shanghai unfold from 1-8 of April next year, too soon for Trickett to be considered for selection. FINA rule DC 5.5.2 makes clear that swimmers coming out of retirement cannot compete in any sanctioned meet that would count for qualification to a FINA event.

Trickett announced the news via her employer, broadcaster the Ten Network today, saying that she had regained her passion for swimming and would return to training next week. "I think it really solifidied in my mind at Pan Pacs last week (where Trickett was doing post-race interviews), seeing the guys race in such a beautiful pool," she said.

"I am ready to commit myself again and she how far I can take my swimming and how fast I can get. I think this year allowed me to find that fire and passion again. I realise I stil love the sport so much and I want to be able to enjoy it," said Trickett.

Her coach Grant Stoelwinder in Sydney told Nicole Jeffery at The Australian: "It's exciting. She gives the team that X factor, it gives a whole new direction to the women's team."

The news has caused big waves Down Under, with head coach Leigh Nugent taking questions from the media at a hastily arranged press conference the morning after (Sept 2 Down Under).

"Throughout the course of this year there were little things that made me miss it [swimming]," said Trickett. "Just the smell of the pool during race time, just things that twigged my memories. I think it really solidified it at Pan Pacs [last month] seeing the guys race ... I guess I was just ready to test myself again and really I just want to see how far I can take my swimming and see how fast I can get."

Nugent said that it would be a year before he would be able to say whether the 25-year-old had regained her old spark and form. "I wouldn't be making any predictions about whether I was confident or not, we'll just watch her progress and if you rang me in maybe 12 months time I could tell you whether I'm confident or not," the head coach told the Australian media. He had met Trickett back in April to ask her whether she might reconsider her decision to quit but at the time the swimmer needed time out.

Stoelwinder admitted the shiny suits crisis had influenced Trickett's decision to retire, but said that the ban on the p-esuits would benefit her. "I know that whole episode was stressful for Libby," Stoelwinder told reporters. "There were so many pressures. She was a Speedo sponsored athlete and it was hard, there were loyalties to be had, and people including myself were trying to make sure she wore one of those suits [to be competitive] ... she has great body position in the water so I think for her it's a great time to come back and it is probably better for her the way it is now."

Meanwhile double Olympic medley champ Stephanie Rice has told the world that all went well with her shoulder op. Rice announced in a Twitter: "Just got out of surgery. Things went well, thank you God. Just cleaned the bursa in my right shoulder."