“That [sitting out of Doha] was more of a decision with my team, we saw that across Australia a lot. We had a very light team, just with the nature of having a World Championships in an Olympic year, a lot of us were in really heavy training.

“I missed the selection trials of the 2023 World Champs, which was a huge decision to have to make, and no athlete wants to go through it. But it’s quite imperative in the sport, all of us have times when we go through adversity, sickness or injury.

“We all go through it, and it’s a case of dealing with what’s in front of you and using it as motivation to get back.”

Among an Australian contingent that features household names such as Ariarne Titmus and Emma McKeon, Strauch has flown under the radar in her quest for gold, having finished ninth in the 200-metre breaststroke at her maiden Olympics in Tokyo.

Should she garner selection at the trials she will be faced with a star intent on cementing her status as one of the finest swimmers America has produced.

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World record holder Lily King (100 metres) will enter what could be her final Olympics, having backed up her Rio De Janiero gold medal with bronze in Tokyo, as could Lithuanian veteran and five-time World Championships gold medallist Rūta Meilutytė.

Strauch’s quest in the 200-metre, however, will be clearer in the absence of 200-metre world record holder Evgeniia Chikunova (200 metres), after the Russian withdrew from Paris in protest of the International Olympic Committee’s verdict athletes from Russia and Belarus would compete as ‘individual neutral athletes’ due to the ongoing Ukraine war.

Based on her personal bests, Strauch still has ground to cover to attain those heights, and she was adamant the nature of the Games and the calibre of competition in her field could inspire a boilover.

“To be honest, I don’t think much about those around me. I’m very process-driven and tend to stay in my lane,” Strauch said.

“The more I race and train, the more confident I’m getting in what my process is, and I think if I make that team, and I’m in contention at the Games, anything is possible.

“That’s what’s so special about the Olympics, we see the unthinkable happen.”