The three-time Olympian certainly didn't expect to be lining up in the 100m butterfly next week as the current commonwealth record holder who is still setting personal bests at age 33.

Pine swam at the world championships in Rome in July, then in the first week of August set the new commonwealth record at 49.71 seconds over the 100m at the Australian shortcourse titles in Hobart.

It was nearly half a second quicker than his old record.

Along with his former Australian Dolphins teammate Geoff Huegill, who will swim the 50m butterfly next week, Pine will be one of a small number of athletes at the Masters Games who are still competing at the elite level.

Pine said he entered the games mainly as a chance to be involved in an international event at home.

''It's just something you don't get the opportunity to do very often and in Australia, it's a great chance to be part of something like this,'' Pine said. ''[When he entered] I'd just returned from the world champs and I wasn't actually in the water and I wasn't actually doing anything so I thought it might be a good thing just to have a swim.

''I have just jumped back in and I have been doing a bit of light training, three or four sessions, so it's a good balance and I'm just going up there just going to have a swim and just wanting to be involved.''

But Pine's new relaxed attitude to training seems to be paying off.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times