Tracey Wickham set two long-standing world records, won two world titles and earned four Commonwealth Games gold medals but her most satisfying swim remains a sprint race at a lowly state meet.

Wickham, awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Queen's Birthday honours list, still savours an upset 1982 victory over sprint queen Lisa Curry as the greatest of her brilliant career.

And the former middle-distance star uses the story of the anger-fuelled 100m win to teach youngsters the powers of the mind.

The two teenage darlings of the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games, Wickham and Curry shared a bitter rivalry and it came to a head at the Queensland titles early that year.

Because of her 24km per day training regime at the time, Wickham withdrew from a string of events before discovering she needed to post a fast time in one to qualify for the nationals.

Wickham said when she suited up for the heat on the final morning of the meet she received a sarcastic slow hand clap from Curry and other competitors.

"Lisa says `oh we've decided to swim have we," she said. "I was so angry.

"It was like Steve Moneghetti racing Michael Johnson over 100m but I thought I have to win this to prove a point."

And prove a point she did, winning by a stroke ahead of Curry.

"I've never been so focused for a race and that includes world titles and Olympic and Commonwealth Games."

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