Magnussen still walked away from Glasgow with two gold medals, but swam in pain towards the end of the meet. While the injury has long-term repercussions for the Commonwealth 100 metre freestyle champion, it won’t keep him out of the Pan Pacific Championships on the Gold Coast from August 21. Magnussen received the results on Tuesday.

“It’s been an ongoing issue for a number of years,” Magnussen said. “Recently it has flared up worse than the past. [The MRI scans] found degenerative damage from the last few years when I grew quite quickly, probably too quickly for what my body was prepared for. There’s a few minor disc issues and some facet joint issues. There is a bit going on there but I’ll stay on top of it with my recovery and preparation and do the best I can. I’ve had back issues in the past. I’m used to dealing with them.”

Magnussen rated his body at 70 per cent when he finished third in the 50-metre freestyle.  The 23-year-old will need to be at his best at the Pan Pacific Championships when he headlines a list of stars competing, including his London Olympics conqueror Nathan Adrian.

“By the end of the week at the Comm Games I was really struggling to get around,” Magnussen said. “I carried it in but I got to a level I thought I was happy with. Going into the village and trying to manage what is less than ideal conditions it kind of flared up. You don’t get many chances to race in a Comm Games so I wanted to keep [the injury] under wraps and get the job done. I didn’t let anyone know until racing was finished that there were any issues there. I was able to get the job done without focusing on it.”

Magnussen was on hand along with South Sydney’s Sam Burgess and Waratahs captain Dave Dennis to celebrate supplement manufacturer Body Science’s status as the first supplements provider to be granted an informed sports’ certification in Australia, which helps maintain substance-free testing.