66 Facts About Ian Thorpe

Ian Thorpe has won five Olympic gold medals, the most won by any Australian along with fellow swimmer Emma McKeon.

Ian Thorpe acquired the nickname "Thorpedo" because of his speed in swimming.

Ian Thorpe announced his retirement from competitive swimming in November 2006, citing waning motivation; he made a brief comeback in 2011 and 2012.

In total, Ian Thorpe has won eleven World Championship gold medals; this is the fifth-highest number of gold medals won by any male swimmer.

Ian Thorpe's father Ken was a promising cricketer at junior level, representing Bankstown District Cricket Club in Sydney's district competition.

In 1995, Ian Thorpe started his secondary education at East Hills Boys Technology High School and switched coaches to swim alongside his sister under the tutelage of Doug Frost.

Ian Thorpe won all ten events at the New South Wales Age Championships.

Frost knew that Ian Thorpe had no realistic chance of making the top two in any event, which would have meant Olympic selection at only 13 years and six months.

Ian Thorpe sent Thorpe to Sydney merely to gain competition experience at senior national level.

Aged 14 years and 5 months, Thorpe became the 463rd and youngest ever male to be selected for the Australian team, surpassing John Konrads' record by one month.

Frost said that Ian Thorpe's selection catalysed his eventual focus on freestyle.

Ian Thorpe contested all twelve events, winning ten individual gold and two bronze medals.

In June 1997, two months before the Pan Pacific Championships, Ian Thorpe required an appendix operation, which caused him to miss two weeks of training.

Ian Thorpe's finishing burst was to become a trademark, and his time would have been enough to win silver at the Atlanta Olympics.

In October 1997, a few days before his fifteenth birthday, Ian Thorpe competed in qualifying trials in Brisbane for the 1998 World Aquatics Championships in Perth.

Ian Thorpe's time was the fourth fastest in history and made him the youngest ever male individual world champion, aged 15 years and 3 months.

Ian Thorpe became a high-profile supporter of the Children's Cancer Institute, after his sister Christina's future brother-in-law Michael Williams became gravely ill with cancer.

Ian Thorpe's time was a Commonwealth record and with it, he secured his first national title.

Ian Thorpe left school at the end of the year after completing Year 10.

Ian Thorpe's decision caused concerns that concentrating on swimming alone could lead to burn out.

Ian Thorpe disagreed, pointing to his informal search for knowledge, stating that "Swimming is a small part of my life".

Ian Thorpe led the men's relay team to unprecedented success in relay events, scoring historic victories over the Americans.

Ian Thorpe was to peak in 2001 when he became the first person to win six gold medals at one world championships, setting three world records and helping Australia top the medal tally at a global meet for the first time since 1956.

Ian Thorpe promptly donated the A$25,000 prize money for breaking the first world record in the pool to charity.

Immediately after the Pan Pacific Championships, Ian Thorpe's management announced his signing to Adidas for an undisclosed six-figure sum, stating that he would race in their new bodysuit.

Ian Thorpe started 2000 looking to add a third individual event to his Olympic schedule.

Ian Thorpe embarked on a European FINA World Cup tour to hone his racecraft, but this was overshadowed by comments made by German head coach Manfred Thiesmann accusing him of using steroids.

Ian Thorpe's difficulties heightened at the subsequent German leg of the tour in Berlin, when a standoff over a drug-test arose when officials wanted to take an unsealed sample due to lack of containers.

On returning from Europe, Thorpe faced further uncertainty until he was granted permission to wear his Adidas suit instead of the Australian uniforms provided by Speedo.

Rosolino aside, Ian Thorpe had left bronze medallist Klete Keller fifteen metres in arrears.

Ian Thorpe timed his dive much better than Gary Hall Jr.

Hall's sprinting ability allowed him to open a lead by the final turn, but Ian Thorpe's finishing kick overhauled him in the final metres, sparking wild celebrations amongst the partisan crowd.

Ian Thorpe arrived in Fukuoka having been chosen by broadcaster TV Asahi as the marketing drawcard of the event.

Ian Thorpe then broke clear to win by a body length, lowering his world record by over two seconds.

Ian Thorpe's achievements led to predictions that he could match Mark Spitz's seven gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics, which he played down.

Ian Thorpe had always insisted that his swimming was about enjoyment and improving himself in setting faster times, rather than victory or defeat.

Ian Thorpe emphasised personal performance, stating "I think it's a limiting attitude to be competing against other people when you can be challenging yourself".

Ian Thorpe cited waning motivation for the split, stating "I decided I either had to make the change or it was to walk away from the sport".

The retired Talbot expressed concerns that Ian Thorpe was making a decision whilst he was physically and emotionally drained, while other coaches felt that the new relationship would end up with Ian Thorpe, rather than Menzies, making the decisions.

Ian Thorpe attracted further criticism when he withdrew from the inaugural Duel in the Pool with a medical complaint, despite travelling overseas for commercial and charity work.

Ian Thorpe was again named as Australian Swimmer of the Year, jointly with Hackett.

Ian Thorpe returned to competition at the New South Wales Championships in December 2005.

Ian Thorpe was unmoved by national coach Alan Thompson, who implored him to continue swimming the event.

Ian Thorpe's stay was constantly surrounded by rumours that he was suffering from ill discipline; this fuelled speculation that his international career was on the decline.

Ian Thorpe said that he had been contemplating retirement for some time, but was afraid of the future because swimming had given him a "safety blanket".

Ian Thorpe stated that he retired despite reaching higher levels of fitness, noting "As I got fit, physically fit, my mind got fit".

Ian Thorpe said a clear mind allowed him to reach his decision.

Ian Thorpe was close to tears when thanking the Australian public, but declared that his retirement was a "joyous" occasion of celebration.

In 2007, the French sports newspaper L'Equipe claimed that Ian Thorpe "showed 'abnormal levels' of two banned substances in a doping test" in 2006 prior to his retirement.

Ian Thorpe has never been found to have used banned substances, and has denied allegations against him while speaking out against drug use.

Ian Thorpe has called for the introduction of blood testing, promised to surrender a frozen sample for retrospective testing and repeatedly criticised FINA for drug-testing procedures that he regards as inadequate.

In February 2011, Ian Thorpe announced that he would come out of retirement and attempt to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London.

Ian Thorpe's success has been attributed to his work ethic, mental strength, powerful kick, ability to accelerate and a physiology suited to swimming.

Ian Thorpe cited Thorpe's ability to manage his workload and his day-to-day recovery between races during a meet as a deficiency.

Ian Thorpe was known for using his trademark six-beat kick to power away from his rivals in the closing stages of races, the effectiveness of which was attributed to his unusually large size 17 feet.

Ian Thorpe presented a two-part television documentary called Bullied on ABC Television, using hidden-camera footage to give a victim's-eye-view of bullying.

In 2021, Ian Thorpe competed in Celebrity MasterChef Australia and was fourth to be eliminated.

Ian Thorpe later appeared in a campaign advertisement with his partner saying that Thorpe could update his electoral details faster than his partner could swim 100 metres.

Ian Thorpe is known for his interests in fashion, and serves as an ambassador for Armani, and has his own line of designer jewellery and underwear.

Ian Thorpe was present at the World Trade Center on the morning of 11 September 2001, having stopped there on his jog, before returning to his hotel after forgetting his camera.

Ian Thorpe later became a spokesperson for the unsuccessful New York bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, even promising to continue his career until the games if New York won the hosting rights.

Ian Thorpe has appeared as an extra in the American sitcom Friends.

Ian Thorpe was praised by older sections of Japanese society as a role model for youth, due to what they interpreted as his humility and work ethic.

In 2002, in the wake of a tourism slump after 11 September terrorist attacks, Thorpe agreed to be an ambassador for the Australian Tourism Commission in Japan.

In 2014, it was confirmed that Ian Thorpe had been admitted to a rehabilitation clinic after neighbours found him dazed near his parents' Panania home.

Ian Thorpe was taken to Bankstown Hospital by police before being admitted to a rehabilitation clinic.