Ian Thorpe

View Ian Thorpe's Biography

"For myself, losing is not coming second. It's getting out of the water knowing you could have done better. For myself, I have won every race I've been in."

Full Name:	Ian James Thorpe
Nickname(s):	Thorpedo, Thorpey
Born:	October 13th, 1982
	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Nationality:	Australia
Status:	Hiatus

Ian James Thorpe, also known as the Thorpedo, was born on October 13, 1982 in Milperra, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. He is the most decorated male Australian Olympian, and was the most successful athlete at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. In his youth, Thorpe followed his older sister to the pool, where he promptly discovered a chlorine allergy. Only with the help of a nose-clip was he able to compete with his face in the water – and then the Thorpedo was born. Early international competition After outgrowing his allergy, Thorpe went on to captain the New South Wales team during the Australian Primary Schools Championships in 1994. In 1996, his sister qualified for the Atlanta Olympics, and their coach, Doug Frost, sent Thorpe to qualifiers in Sydney to give him a taste of competing under the national eye, but it wasn’t until he qualified for the 1997 Pan Pacific Championships in Fukuoka, Japan that Thorpe entered the international spotlight. Unfortunately, he had his appendix out two months before competition, which disrupted a vital part of his training season. He did not medal in his first individual event, the 200 free, however, he qualified for the 4 x 200 free relay, …

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Lifetime Achievement, 2012 Swammy Award Winner, Michael Phelps

“Michael’s path to greatness was sealed when he lost to Ian Thorpe and Pieter van den Hoogenband in Athens in the 200 freestyle. It proved Michael was fearless, unshakable.” (Swim Photo Credit: VIS)

Is Ian Thorpe Relevant Today?

Swim News: “A thorough biography of Ian Thorpe’s life and career was completed in 2004 by Greg Hunter, so what’s left to learn?” (Swim Photo Credit: CW)

5-time London Olympic Medalist, Coutts, Finally Lands Major Endorsement

Swim News: “In London, Coutts won gold in the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay, three silver medals in the 200 individual medley, 4×200 freestyle relay and the 4×100 medley relay, and a bronze in the 100 butterfly.” (Swim Photo Credit: SPR)