Ian Thorpe has set the quickest time of his comeback to finish sixth in the 100m freestyle final at a low-key event in Luxembourg in 50.76 seconds.

Thorpe, who qualified third fastest for the final of the Euro Meet with a time of 50.82s, has bettered the 50.84s he swam in Italy last month and the 51.05 he clocked in the Victorian titles earlier this month.

However, almost a year after announcing his return to competition last February, the 29-year-old is still a career away from his 2004 best of 48.56s and a long way off the Olympic A-qualifying time of 48.82s.

Thorpe contested the 200m freestyle final at the Luxembourg meet on Saturday finishing fourth in a time of 1min 51.51sec, a worse result than the 1:50.79 he posted at the Victorian titles and a lifetime away from his old world record time and personal best of 1:44.06 set in 2001 – a mark which stood for nearly six years.

The five-time Olympic champion is using the meet to tune up for Australia’s Olympic trials in March.

He will then train in Spain and Germany, before another race in Zurich three weeks before the Olympic trials.

Thorpe is considered little chance to make the Olympic team in the fiercely-competitive 100m freestyle with his best chance of booking a ticket to the London Games likely to be one of the six places in the 4x200m relay squad.