By Stephanie Muir

TRIPLE Olympic gold medallist and the poster girl of Australian swimming Stephanie Rice has declared she is "confident" of snaring a coveted spot in the Commonwealth Games team.

Rice, accompanied by Eamon Sullivan, visited the city yesterday, taking a quick break from her heavy training schedule in preparation for the Pan Pacific Championships and Commonwealth Games trials in less than six weeks.

After a stellar 18 months in the pool, which culminated in three gold medals in Beijing, Rice has her eyes firmly focused on the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Rice yesterday declared she is "feeling good" heading into the trials and is happy with the stage her preparation has reached.

"We have the selection trials in March for the Commonwealth Games team," she said.

"Obviously at the moment I am really focused on training, we do nine swim sessions, five gym and three dry (a week), and I am just really looking forward to the trials.

"At the moment I am confident and there are still six weeks to go, I'll just be out there to do the best I can and give myself the best possible shot.

"I would really love to make it back onto the team for the Games; I really want to be there."

The fleeting visit gave Rice and Sullivan no chance to take in any of the city's sights, with the glamour pair of the pool under a tight schedule. "I had training this morning from 5 to 7.30 and I will be training this afternoon when I get back to Brisbane," Rice said. "Our schedule is very busy at the moment."

To maintain balance and avoid succumbing to fatigue or illness, Rice said recovery is vital and despite not having the average life of a 21-year-old, she still makes time for the things she loves.

"It's nice to relax after my last session on a Saturday and have the weekend," she said.

"I don't like to do things that are going to make me really tired so it is a lot of going to breakfast and lunch and doing things like bowling which I have always loved.

"I use massage and physiotherapy to help with recovery but it comes down to getting a lot of sleep and eating right during the week."

Rice had golden advice for the many aspiring young swimmers who turned out to meet their hero at the Marketplace yesterday.

"As a young swimmer you have to be enjoying what you are doing, make sure you are having fun," she said.

"That goes for whatever you are doing sport, swimming, school or whatever."