Evie is in the Maitland region to race Cody, the two-year-old son of Olympic bronze medallist Justin Norris, for the unofficial Australian Baby Championships and to help her grandfather promote the Kids Alive Do The Five water safety message.

And Lawrence, who has been combatting infant drowning since 1988, said Ian Thorpe could be the next challenger on their list.

“After Evie beats Cody and wraps up the title here we may even challenge Thorpey next,” Lawrence said.

“He [Thorpe] hasn’t been training too much yet so we want to get him now.”

Lawrence, who has been to seven Olympic Games as the national swimming coach, said Thorpe’s comeback was a positive thing for the sport in Australia.

“It’s fantastic to see him [Thorpe] back in the water, he is an absolute champion,” Lawrence said.

“He has already created a lot of attention, you only have to look at yesterday’s [Wednesday’s] media conference.

“But it is a big risk for him too, he is Australia’s most successful Olympian and now he could be on a hiding to nothing.”

But while Thorpe returned to the water in the pool which bears his name in Sydney on Thursday, Lawrence was busy training another champion swimmer.

“She [Evie] might be a bit younger than Cody at 20 months but I think she might have his measure,” Lawrence said.

“I think we might have this in the bag.”

But Norris, who finished third in the 200 metres butterfly ahead of US super star Michael Phelps at the 2000 Sydney Olympics under the guidance of Lawrence, tended to disagree.

“Not so fast, Cody has been in good shape lately,” Norris said.

“And we have the home pool advantage.”

Evie and Cody will go head-to-head at Norris’ swim centre in Thornton at 10.30am on Friday.

DVDs called Living With Water will be available on the day and from the centre.

Lawrence said for the next four years each newborn in Australia will receive the water safety resource in order to educate parents and reduce infant drowning across the nation.