BRISBANE - Olympic gold medallist Duncan Free's comeback from horrific leg fractures has all but secured the veteran rower a place in Australia's new ``Oarsome Foursome'' for the London Games.
Free, whose right leg is 2.6 centimetres shorter than his left after a cycling accident last year, has joined long-time partner Drew Ginn and youngster Josh Dunkley Smith as near certainties in the men's four.
After seven weeks of trialling and training camps, the trio is now considered the backbone of Australia's priority boat for the 2012 Olympics where it aims to break Great Britain's stranglehold of the men's four.
Rowing Australia has chosen an initial squad of five for the boat which includes Will Lockwood and Fergus Pragnell, who are set to fight it out to be the bowman.
Pragnell will get first chance to audition for the last seat this weekend at the NSW titles at Penrith when he teams up with Free, 38, in the men's pair.
Three weeks later at the national titles in Perth, Lockwood will get his chance by rowing with Free, who has underlined his credentials with a personal best effort over 6km on the ergo machine.
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