Fydler lines up for ocean swim

Chris Fydler leaves the blocks during his time as one of Australia’s best sprinters in the pool. Fydler is one of a number of big names competing in the Byron Bay Winter Whales Ocean Classic tomorrow.

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FORMER Olympic gold medallist Chris Fydler will contest the Byron Bay Winter Whales Ocean Classic tomorrow but the lanky swimmer could well be a fish out of water.

Fydler, now 36, made his name as one of Australia's best freestyle sprinters over 50m and 100m.

With Michael Klim, Ian Thorpe and Ashley Callus he claimed the gold medal in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

So it's fair to say the 2.2km race from Wategos to Main Beach will be slightly further than what he used to contest.

Giving some hope to Fydler is the fact that since he retired from pool swimming in 2001, he has kept a modicum of fitness and he proved that by winning his age division in Manly's Cole Classic Ocean Swim earlier this year.

The former lawyer is now the general manager of Oriel Technologies and he kept an interest in the sport by joining the board of Swimming Australia in 2006.

Fydler was one of those who made the tough decision to ban butterfly bad boy Nick D'Arcy from the world championship squad due to his assault on former Australian breaststroker Simon Cowley.