Dawn Fraser, first and still one of only two to have won the same event at three successive Olympic Games, has urged fellow Australian Ian Thorpe to race the 400m freestyle at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 to give himself the chance of becoming the first man to achieve the triple.

Since Fraser - who revealed that she talks to Thorpe of the triple from time to time - won the 100m freestyle at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 (she was deprived of a shot at a fourth victory by the blinkered bureaucracy of Australian blazers way back when), only Krisztina Egerszegi has managed the triple. The Hungarian took the Olympic 200m backstroke title in 1988, 1992 and 1996 and has held the world record over the distance since 1991.

Kieran Perkins and Alexander Popov were among swimmers who came close to achieving the triple, while David Thiele, of Australia, could not have become become a triple winner of the 100m backstroke even if he had aimed to be one: FINA and the IOC removed the 100 metres backstroke from the race schedule at the 1964 Olympic Games.

In Beijing, Grant Hackett and Pieter Van Den Hoogenband could become the first men to achieve the triple, over 1,500m freestyle 100m freestyle respectively. The 400m fall first on the programme, however, and as things stand, should Thorpe return to his signature event, it could be teammate Hackett who stops him.

Thorpe has not been beaten over 400 metres in a long-course pool since becoming the youngest male to win a world title back in 1998 aged 15. He won the crown at the Sydney and Athens Games but along the way has switched coach, from Doug Frost to Tracey Menzies and placed more emphasis on sprinting. As well as winning the 200m freestyle in Athens, he took the bronze over 100m in Athens, a rare but not unique achievement across the freestyle distances.

After suffereing a form of glandular fever and the breaking a bone in his hand earlier this year, Thorpe has delayed plans for an international comeback and may not be seen in top form again until the world championships in Melbourne next year. He will decide whether the 400m is part of his plan in October, two months before Australian trials for Melbourne.

Fraser believes Thorpe should have a crack at a greatness beyond great, telling AAP: “He has the chance and I think he’s got the ability to do that. I hope he does. It is a hard record to capture and three Olympic Games in a row is not easy, but he’s got the opportunity of doing it and I hope he does do it. I talk to him occasionally about it and I think he can do it.”

Others have less confidence: former teammates Olympic champion Susie O’Neill and Olympic medal winner Nicole Livingstone believe Thorpe’s best years in the pool are behind him.

Fraser sees another outcome: “Ian Thorpe’s a champion. Regardless of whether he has 18 months off or 12 months off or six months off or moves camp, he’s a champion and he’ll come back, there’s no doubt about that. I can see him getting back to the top form he was in. He realises what he’s got to do to get there and he’s not going to let himself down, let alone Australia down. His first thoughts would be to get himself fit and do the work, he’s an intelligent swimmer. I can’t see him sitting back and saying ‘I don’t feel like doing this today’, Thorpe’s not like that. He’s got the killer instinct and he’ll be back.”

Beyond all the talk of “will he or won’t he”, Thorpe himself is likely to carry on measuring himself by the yardstick he has so long preferred: regardless of what others are capable of doing, did I give it my all, was that the best I could achieve, did I do myself justice? Such questions will weigh heavily as he decides whether to return to the 400 metres.