Geoff "Rocky Balboa" Huegill swam a personal best in his comeback placing 5th in the final of the 50m 'fly!

The guy has only been back in the pool for 6 months; before that he was off in the wilderness gaining 90-pounds or so while searching for a new direction. This is not uncommon for Olympians who retire.

Now get this, he jumps into a Speedo LZR for the first time, and in a semi-final heat swims a 23.86 for a personal best. A personal best at 30-years-old after being out of competition for 5-years. That is "Rocky material" and it should become a movie becasue the adversity this guy has gone through is greater than the adversity the fictional Rocky Balboa dramatized.

Amazing right? However, that is not all. In January he suffered from an irregular heartbeat and was taken to the hospital for tests but luckily converted to sinus rhythm in time to train and do this well.

From Andrew Webster at The Daily Telegraph:

"...He had an irregular heartbeat. I know that plays on his mind. We had to get him to a doctor straight away. It was definitely a concern. He was concerned, for sure. As it turns out, it wasn't serious. But it was enough to make sure we had to be careful."

Huegill's transformation was there for all to see poolside at the Sydney Aquatic Centre yesterday as he attempted to earn a place on the team that will contest the world championships in Rome in July.

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Yet here he was, emerging from his heat swim of 23.86sec to easily qualify for last night's semi-finals, showing off a 1000-watt smile and glistening abdominal muscles. A swimmer and man reborn

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Though he didn't make the Australian world championship team, a 23.86 after a health scare such as that while undergoing a massive weight reduction program is indeed inspiring. In 6-months time, he was probably dropping 3-pounds per week. Wow!