Ian Thorpe

Ian James Thorpe is a retired Australian swimmer who competed in backstroke, individual medley, and freestyle. At the Olympic Games, he has five gold medals. Thorpe was the most successful athlete at the 2000 Summer Olympics, winning three gold and two silver medals.

About Ian Thorpe |  Family and Education

Ian James Thorpe, an Australian freestyle and backstroke swimmer who also competed in the individual medley, was born on October 13, 1982.

The former swimmer was the most successful athlete at the 2000 Summer Olympics, which were hosted in his hometown of Sydney.

Thorpe won three gold medals, two silver medals, and two bronze medals.

He was also the world’s youngest male World Champion when he won the 400-meter freestyle at the 1998 World Championships in Perth.

He dominated the 400 m freestyle after that, winning it at every Olympic, World, Commonwealth, and Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.

Thorpe was born and reared in Sydney’s Milperra neighborhood, into a sports family.

His father, Ken, was an outstanding junior cricket player. In the Sydney district tournament, he represented Bankstown District Cricket Club.

Paternal pressure affected Ken’s enjoyment of cricket, and at the age of 26, he retired. Margaret, Thorpe’s mother, played A-grade netball, but he lacked his family’s ball abilities.

To strengthen a shattered wrist, Christina, his older sister, was encouraged to swim. Thorpe, who was just five years old at the time, accidentally followed her into the lake.

Thorpe, however, was unable to participate in athletics as a child due to a sensitivity to chlorine. As a result, he didn’t race until he was seven years old, during a school carnival.

Despite his clumsy manners, he won the race due to his massive size advantage.

Professional Life and Career

In the Beginning

Ian started competitive swimming at the age of eight and excelled in the pool despite his lack of coordination in other sports.

When he was thirteen years old, he broke eleven national age-group records in a single competition.

He also became the youngest member of Australia’s national squad the following year.

At the 1998 world championships, Thorpe, who was 15 at the time, set a world record in the 400-meter freestyle. He held the record for being the world’s youngest swimmer.

 

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He also ran a 1-minute 47.67-second split, which was only 0.26 seconds slower than Klim’s winning time in the 200-meter final.

At the age of seventeen, he was named Swimming World Swimmer of the Year, recognizing his contributions to the sport.

At the age of seventeen, he was named Swimming World Swimmer of the Year, recognizing his contributions to the sport.

Career Opportunities

Thorpe made a name for himself in Australia after winning three gold medals (400-meter, 4 × 200-meter, and 4 x 100-meter freestyle relays) and one silver medal (400-meter freestyle) at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Moreover, at the World Swimming Championships the following year, he set world records in all of them.

He was also a member of the 4 × 200-meter freestyle relay squad that set a new world record.

Thorpe also took gold in the four 100-meter freestyle events and the four 100-meter medley events.

After helping Australia win the team title in the event, he was named the best male participant.

 

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Thorpe’s freestyle supremacy continued in 2003 when he won three gold medals at the world championships.

Following his victory in Athens, Thorpe took a year’s break from swimming. In 2006, he returned to the pool to prepare for the Commonwealth Games, however, he had to withdraw due to sickness.

Why did Ian Thorpe call it quits so soon?

At the age of 24, Ian Thorpe retired from competitive swimming. The five-time Olympic gold medalist said he had to resign at such a young age because he couldn’t take the strain.

In 2006, Thorpe shocked the sports world by announcing his premature retirement. Later, he acknowledged that he regretted not resigning sooner.

Ian went on to say that he believes he could have competed in ‘another two Olympics’ at the time if he hadn’t been under ‘pressures.’

He battled the emotional anguish of being trapped between his sporting dreams and a yearning for a normal life away from the grind of training and the spotlight.

Post-Swimming Profession

In a two-part television documentary called Bullied on ABC Television, Thorpe used a hidden-camera video to present a victim’s-eye-view of bullying. On March 14, 2017, it aired for the first time.

In the run-up to the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, he lobbied for a “yes” vote. He also encouraged people to vote by registering at City2Surf.

He claimed to be able to update his electoral data faster than his partner could swim 100 meters.

Sexuality

After years of publicly denying his homosexuality, Thorpe came out as gay in a July 2014 televised interview with British talk show presenter Michael Parkinson.

“I’m at ease identifying as a gay man,” he says. And I don’t want anyone to go through what I went through. You can grow up and be gay while being satisfied in your flesh.”

“I’m announcing my homosexuality to the world,” he stated. I hope this makes it easier for others today, and even if you’ve been holding it in for years, it feels great to let it out.”

Ryan Channing, a model, was the first person he dated in 2016. In December 2017, however, Thorpe indicated that he has no plans to marry his boyfriend “anytime soon.” Rather, he wants to start his own family.

 

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Thorpe and Channing ended their relationship in June of this year.

In a question-and-answer format interview, Thorpe’s sexual orientation was explored, as well as some of the challenges he had as a result of his homosexuality in competitive swimming.

It was issued in September 2020 by the International Olympic Committee.

Autobiography

Thorpe’s autobiography, This is Me, was published shortly after the London Olympics.

The book attracted a lot of attention, owing to a chapter about depression. In addition, in his book, he addressed the LGBT accusations.

They made him feel alienated, he said, not because of his sexuality, but because his honest denials were misunderstood as horrible lies.

On Twitter and in interviews, Michael Jordan and other well-known athletes commended Thorpe’s candor, highlighting the seriousness of the illness.

Furthermore, he has been dealing with the agony for years, even (and probably especially) during his heyday in the early 2000s.

Philanthropy

Thorpe established Ian Thorpe’s Fountain for Youth in 2000, establishing himself as a philanthropist.

The foundation raises funds for research into pediatric illnesses and supports a Beijing school for orphaned and disadvantaged children.

It also works with The Fred Hollows Foundation to improve the health and living conditions of indigenous Australians.

Suffering from Depression

Thorpe has always been open about his depression, which he has battled since he was a child.

Similarly, Thorpe was confirmed to be brought to a rehabilitation center after neighbors saw him bewildered at his parent’s Tanzania home.

Thorpe was admitted to a rehabilitation facility after being moved to Bankstown Hospital.

Ian confesses to considering suicide and consuming “huge amounts” of alcohol to cope with “crippling sadness” in his 2012 autobiography This is Me.

For numerous years, he believed doctors were lying to him when they told him it was controllable.

Moreover, According to the Daily Mail Australia, the swimmer has never been afraid to seek help throughout his life.

Interests

Thorpe is well-known for his fashion interests, having served as an ambassador for Armani and having his collection of high-end jewelry and undergarments.

Thorpe’s love of fashion and culture led to numerous trips to New York City. He also refers to the city as his “second home,” which he visits frequently for Armani events.

Furthermore, because of the city’s status as a global fashion powerhouse. Thorpe’s passion for television has driven him to work in the industry.

In 2002, he starred in Undercover Angels, a reality television show based on the Charlie’s Angels series. Thorpe has also acted as a guest star in the American sitcom Friends.

Popularity

Thorpe is a well-known figure throughout Asia, particularly in Japan.

Thus, After selecting him as the swimmer most likely to succeed at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, TV Asahi chose him as the event’s marketing icon in 2000.

Thorpe visited Japan in the run-up to the event to promote Asahi in a series of television appearances.

Similarly, When he arrived at the airport for the competition, he was greeted by a 25-meter line of young people, with hundreds camped outside the Australian team’s hotel.

His race was believed to have been observed by more than 80% of the Japanese people.

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, Thorpe opted to become an ambassador for the Australian Tourism Commission in Japan in 2002.

Part of the high-profile campaign was a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

In addition, In Japan, in 2005, Yakult released the ‘Thorpedo’ energy drink, which included a picture of the swimmer on the bottle.

What happened to Ian Thorpe?

Thorpe has recently started a new job as an Olympic coach for Australia’s future Olympians and aspirants.

Thorpe states in an article by Neil Cross:

“I’ve always wanted to be more involved in the sport, and I’ve always wanted to be a supporter of our athletes because they’re a beautiful set of young people once you get to know them.”

Olympic swimmers will be coached by Ian Thorpe ahead of the Rio Olympics.

Net Worth | Ian Thorpe

Thorpe’s net worth is believed to be $2 million. During his career, he was one of Australia’s most well-known and popular athletes.

Thorpe’s riches are largely derived from his professional swimming career.

Thorpe has consistently ranked as the most sought-after Australian athlete for sponsorship deals, despite playing in a sport where most foreign competitors’ incomes are below the poverty line.

Furthermore, he defeats footballers who compete every week in far larger arenas.

Apart from his swimsuit sponsor Adidas, Thorpe was sponsored by Australian business giants Qantas, Telstra, and the Seven Network.

Legacy

Thorpe’s success has been attributed to his hard ethic, mental tenacity, strong kick, acceleration ability, and swimming-specific physiology.

He was labeled “the finest swimmer the world has ever seen” by former Australian head coach Don Talbot as a result of this. Thorpe’s technique was rated as “fantastic” and “excellent” by Swimming World.

Talbot disagreed, believing that Thorpe put too much emphasis on his kick to the detriment of his arms.

Ian noted his ability to manage his workload as well as his day-to-day recovery between races during a meet as shortcomings.

Bob Bowman, the head coach of the United States men’s swimming team and Michael Phelps’ mentor, spoke about Thorpe after his retirement.

He called him “the greatest relay swimmer I have ever seen” as well as “the best middle-distance swimmer of all time.”

Thorpe’s ability to expand the sport’s profile and popularity was also lauded by Bowman, who said that Phelps’ public demeanor was based on Thorpe’s.

“Australians will continue to marvel at Ian Thorpe’s achievements in 50 years,” Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates stated.

Thorpe was one of just two athletes to win the same Olympic event three times, according to Dawn Fraser.

Allegations of drug use

Ian Thorpe, a five-time Olympic gold medalist, and Australian freestyle swimmer were chastised in the 2000s for allegedly abusing performance-enhancing drugs and steroid drug doping to fuel his sporting triumphs.

He has also been a prominent critic of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) and International Swimming Federation’s (FINA) doping rules, which he says are excessively lax and poorly implemented.

You might also be interested in learning more about Mike Golic Jr.

Allegations from Germany

At the 2000 Summer Olympics, German head coach Manfred Theismann leveled accusations against him. Thorpe was allegedly utilizing steroids, according to Theismann.

Testing officials asked the swimmers for permission to leave their samples unopened in a fridge overnight because they didn’t have the required containers.

It did, however, contravene the Australian and US officials’ drug testing security guidelines.

More allegations of drug use appeared later in the year. There was one from Chris–Carol Bremer, a German captain.

Similarly, He claimed that due to his use of human growth hormone, Thorpe’s “hands and feet are unnaturally huge.”

Accusations from L’Equipe

Thorpe was found to have “abnormal quantities” of two banned substances in May 2006, according to L’Équipe, a French daily sports journal.

Thorpe’s testosterone and luteinizing hormone levels were both found to be high (LH). Both are naturally occurring in the human body, according to the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA).

Campaign Against Drug Use

Thorpe is a well-known anti-drug advocate in and out of sports. He has requested blood tests and has chastised FINA for allegedly inadequate drug-testing procedures.

“Anyone who believes they’re swimming in a clean Olympic Games is dumb,” he remarked.

Despite the praise he received from swimmers and coaches, FINA condemned him, accusing him of putting the sport in disrepute.

Thorpe was chosen by the United Nations to lead an anti-recreational drug campaign in Japan as well as UNICEF promotional activities during UN Children’s Week.

Achievements and Awards

Ian has the fifth-highest number of World Championship gold medals of any male swimmer, with eleven.

He was elected Australian Swimmer of the Year from 1999 to 2003. After being elected Young Australian of the Year in 2000 for his sporting achievements, Thorpe became one of Australia’s most well-known athletes.

As a gold medalist in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his contribution to the sport.

 

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Furthermore, For his humanitarian work with indigenous children, he received the Human Rights Medal in 2012.

In 2014, Macquarie University honored him with an honorary Doctor of Letters for his contributions to athletics, philanthropy, and Indigenous rights.

Social Media

Thorpe is active on several social networking sites. He uses social media to provide images and information about his life.

He also has 73.3 thousand Instagram followers, 95.2 thousand Twitter followers, and 149 thousand Facebook fans.

Frequently Asked Question:

Was Michael Phelps superior to Ian Thorpe in terms of swimming ability?

Michael Phelps’ fanfare was real, but Thorpe was swimming’s biggest star. At the 2003 World Championships, the American won six medals, including a two-length triumph in the 200m medley versus Thorpe.

When did Ian Thorpe deceive the public?

In late March 2004, Ian Thorpe participated in the 400-meter freestyle at the Australian Championships in Sydney, but he overbalanced on the blocks and crashed into the water.

Ian Thrope appears in what Friends episode?

Friends featured Thrope in the episode “The One With Ross’s Library Book.” He appeared in the episode as the uncredited Coffee Shop Customer.

Quick Facts | Ian Thorpe