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Australian swimmer Emily Seebohm will race at her fourth Olympics after using barbs about her weight as motivation to make the Tokyo team.

Emily Seebohm was told she was too fat. And too old. She couldn't possibly swim at a fourth Olympics.

The 29-year-old says the barbs were a driving force in her life since being written off two years ago when failing to make Australia's team for the world championships.

Seebohm on Sunday night secured a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics, finishing second behind fresh world-record holder Kaylee McKeown in the 100-metre backstroke finals at Australia's selection trials.

The veteran broke down in tears when describing her tortured path to her fourth Olympics.

"A lot of people said that I wasn't going to do it," Seebohm said.

"I was too old. I needed to lose weight, I needed to look different.

"And I guess I just stuck to my guns and stuck to what I knew would work best for me."

Seebohm said her spirit was sapped in 2019 when she didn't make the world championship team.

"I lost a lot of confidence in my swimming," she said.

"I knew this was going to be super-tough to make this (Tokyo) team and I really wanted to go to a fourth Olympics, that was my dream.

"It's just really nice to back - after 2019, I didn't think that I would.

"I didn't want to finish my career, I don't want to say not finishing on top, but I wanted to get back close to my best.

"And I am just really happy that I have got this opportunity to get to my fourth Olympics and compete against the best in the world again because that is why we do it, that is why we work so hard."