Swimmer Kenrick Monk accepts he’ll probably always cop flak for being that guy who lied about falling off a skateboard.

But the 24-year-old freestyler insists he’s learned from the incident and has become a better man as a result.

Monk made international headlines in September when he admitted to making up a detailed story that he had been the victim of a deliberate hit-and-run accident.

The Queenslander suffered two broken bones in his elbow, telling police and the media he was struck by a car while riding his bicycle to training.

But he was forced into a spectacular backflip days later, admitting he made up the whole thing and had in fact injured himself falling off a skateboard.

Monk said he panicked and fabricated the story out of embarrassment and because he was not supposed to be engaging in dangerous or high impact sports.

Forced to spend 11 weeks out of the pool, he returned to competition for the first time since the accident at the NSW championships on Saturday, qualifying for the men’s 200m final as he built towards next month’s Olympic trials.

Unsurprisingly, Monk said he had found himself the target of plenty of jibes since the incident but insisted he had accepted responsibility for his “stupid mistake”

“People say a lot of things … I will probably get that for my whole life now,” Monk said.

“If you keep your chin up, keep walking, stand tall and be proud that is all you can do.

“I have my ups and downs. It’s a roller coaster but these days you have to let it go. If you can smile and laugh at it now. I think I am on the right track.

“No one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. I have to accept I have made a mistake.”

Monk said his biggest regret over the incident was getting his family involved but said there had also been positives to come out of it.

“I have learnt a lot. I know I am not that kind of person. It was killing me,” Monk said.

“But it has helped me a lot with my swimming, when my coach asks me how I am going, how I am feeling, instead of just pushing through it and trying to be the tough man, I just tell him straight how it is.

“It’s made me a better man and hopefully from this people will start forgiving me and let me do what I want to do which is swim.”

Monk’s injuries are still healing but he said he was doing everything possible to be ready for trials, where he will likely take on the returning Ian Thorpe.

Skateboarding, though, is clearly off the program.

“People always ask me what happened to the skateboard,” Monk said.

“I think my old man took it, snapped it in half and put it straight in the bin.”