Ian Thorpe Makes An Appearance In Rome

2018 SETTE COLLI TROPHY

Australian legend Ian Thorpe made an appearance at the Sette Colli Trophy in Rome during preliminary action on Saturday, meeting with athletes and fans while being accompanied by Italian swimming icons Massimiliano Rosolino and Filippo Magnini. Per our Giusy Cisale, Thorpe spoke about the importance of educating future generations on the sport.

Courtesy of Giusy Cisale – Swimswam

Thorpe had an illustrious career in the sport through the late ’90s and early 2000s, winning five Olympic gold medals and nine total to be the most decorated Australian Olympian in history. At the 2000 Games in his home country, the now 35-year-old was the most successful athlete in any sport with three gold and two silver medals, including an epic come-from-behind win in the 400 free relay, where he ran down American sprinting legend Gary Hall Jr. to send the Sydney crowd into a frenzy.

After a 2nd successful Olympiad in Athens in ’04, Thorpe took a year off, planning to return at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, but ultimately had to withdraw due to illness and ended up announcing his retirement that November. In 2011 he announced a return to the sport, aiming to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, but ultimately came up short.

In addition to his Olympic success, Thorpe won 11 LC World Championship titles throughout his career, and set 13 individual LC world records.

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running start to touch backstroke flags
5 years ago

And everyone kept asking him if he knew where MP was…

RomaNuoto
5 years ago

He did speak to the Italian swimmer today to tell them not to compete for medal but to compete for love of swimming. He asked for Olympic not to have medals but for participation prize

Coach John
Reply to  RomaNuoto
5 years ago

classic armchair quaterback comment

Sum Ting Wong
Reply to  Coach John
5 years ago

They are usually not that funny .

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  Coach John
5 years ago

woon woof says the blind

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  ERVINFORTHEWIN
5 years ago

You mean a blind dyslexic.

Sum Ting Wong
5 years ago

Hello SWSw i said I was hoping for a look at fashionable ex male swimmers but not anyone wearing a Zuckerberg t shirt .

ERVINFORTHEWIN
5 years ago

He still has that unbelievable huge thoracic cage ….one of the most beautiful freestyle stroke there has ever been in swimming . One of my top favorites . Cool he appears in Europe this summer .

Michael Schwartz
5 years ago

HE’S SO FLUFFY!!!

Scott Morgan
Reply to  Michael Schwartz
5 years ago

Here’s where the body shamers and homophobes chime in….

JDM
Reply to  Michael Schwartz
5 years ago

This comment should not be here. We in the swimming community are very proud of Ian, in all respects.

ERVINFORTHEWIN
Reply to  Michael Schwartz
5 years ago

time to take it down buddy , and straight on .

Caeleb Dressel Will Win 9 Gold Medals in Tokyo
5 years ago

The freestyle GOAT

Ol' Longhorn

Ledecky. When he can win by a mile in a mile, he can be the freestyle GOAT.

samuel huntington
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

freestyle GOAT!!

Ol' Longhorn

Except he doesn’t have a single freestyle world record.

Maelstrom
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

His Australian record for the 400 free is only 0.01 seconds slower than the current world record, and has come close to it far more often than biedermann or anyone else has.

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Maelstrom
5 years ago

Again, I present Ledecky where the 0.01 sec difference between her and the second best ever is practically per yard.

Togger
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

Does being the GOAT mean your records have to stand forever? The sport would never progress.

This summer all of Phelps’ remaining records could fall (in probability order: Dressel, Milak, Kalisz). He won’t suddenly stop being the GOAT.

In any event, Thorpe’s PBs would have won the 200 and 400 double at every global championships since the London Olympics (where Agnel beat his 200).

Ol' Longhorn
Reply to  Togger
5 years ago

Again, I present Ledecky.

samuel huntington
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

freestyle GOAT!!

MTK
Reply to  Togger
5 years ago

Exactly. Being the GOAT means that you accomplished things in your career that few (or none) can conceivably match. Times are largely a function of advances in science, technology etc, and so are not the right measuring stick for GOAT, especially in the long-term. Mark Spitz is one the greatest of all-time, not because of how his times look today (nowhere near competitive, given that they are from 40 years ago), but because of what he accomplished in his career. Phelps could have narrowed his focus to like 2 events and probably put up even far more impressive times (with a focus on for example: only 200fly and 200IM) due to more specialization in training and greater energy preservation at… Read more »

MTK
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

Other than Agnel’s 200free masterpiece in London 2012 , and Phelps’ in Melbourne 2007, nobody has ever swam faster than his 1:44.0 and 3:40.0 in still-legal suits. I think it says a lot about his success that only 1 swim in the last 10 years (excluding super-suit) has been faster than his old WRs, which are now more than 15 years old.

Bake
Reply to  MTK
5 years ago

Actually Phelps 2007 swim isn’t in a legal suit either.
His performances in 2001 are tied with Phelps in 08 IMO.
All of them were freestyle, and he completely dominated other ATGs in Hackett and VDH in the 800 and 200. He didn’t just win, he did it in a mesmerizing way. He literally watched Hackett, switching his breathing side every length, for 750m, before swimming off in the last 50.

Had he swum the 200IM or 1500 in 2001, he would have medalled and potentially won gold in both. Maybe to the detriment of the relays which Aus could never have won without him posting PBs. He had 1:58 in the 200IM in 2003 when he had… Read more »

Ol' Longhorn

Not even best Aussie freestyler of all time. That would be Shane Gould. Only person, male or female, to hold every world freestyle record from 100 to 1500 meters.

samuel huntington
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

freestyle GOAT!!

Caeleb Dressel Will Win 9 Gold Medals in Tokyo
Reply to  Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

That iis ridiculous . Thorpe is still the fastest ever in the 400 free. I don’t count that plastic Bidermann wr.

Philip
5 years ago

Legend.

About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

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