Huegill (23.46sec) will compete at his first major international meet in six years after taking out the 50m butterfly in style at Sydney Olympic Park on Thursday night, with a time just two hundredths of a second slower then his old world record set in 2001.
The win capped a remarkable journey for the Sydney Olympic medallist, who has lost 45kg after his weight ballooned to 138kg following the 2004 Athens Olympics.
The 31-year-old, now a muscular 93kg, rated the experience on par with competing at the Sydney Games in 2000.
"It's been a dream come true," Huegill said. Consistency in and out of the pool has been the key to Huegill's weight loss. Huegill lost 45kg over two years of training in the pool and cutting down on partying out of the pool.
A strict training regime and a disciplined approach to food and alcohol has allowed him to keep the weight off for over a year. Renowned as someone who loved to party, Huegill said he is now totally in control of his drinking during an interview with the ABC's Madonna King earlier this morning.
``I do occasionally have one beer when I am at dinner, but in terms of going out and living that party lifestyle, that is well and truly out of my system,'' he said.
A family history of heart disease and a desire to become healthier for his family's sake started Huegill down the track to returning to the pool in competitive swimming.
`'My father passed away from a heart attack in his mid 50s and I realised I wanted to have a family and be there for my family,'' he said. ``I had to start looking after my health.''
"To come back from the position I was in, it's something I definitely don't take for granted. It's been well and truly worth all the pain.
"... The emotions I feel today are well and truly on par with the way I felt 10 years ago when I stood behind the blocks at the Sydney Olympics."
Huegill rated himself at only 85-90 per cent fitness, and sent a clear warning to former South African world record holder Roland Schoeman about his intentions in India.
"23.44 is a pretty good world standard time at the moment, so my sights will definitely be coming away with a medal if not gold," he said.
"I'm happy to put that out there now. I love racing Roland and he's definitely going to be the man to beat, so it's going to be good to see how he goes now without his supersuit."
Source: The Daily Telegraph
