Ian Thorpe

At only 16 years of age, Ian James Thorpe has the world at his feet.

And big feet they are. Thorpe’s flippers fill a size 16 shoe, the only World Champion with a shoe size greater than his age.

However feet aside, this swimmers achievements in the pool speak for themselves. Thorpe’s trophy room is already stacked with rows of glistening medals and trophies, most of them shaded gold. His collections range from a series of underage and school titles, through to Australian Championships, World Championships, and Commonwealth Games. In less than a year, he hopes to add the biggest prize of all to his stash. The highest honor in world swimming; Olympic Gold.

Wind the clock back a few years, and Ian Thorpe is a shy seven year old, unable to swim and allergic to chlorine. However after continuous weeks of being dragged along to watch his big sister, Christine, compete in endless swimming competitions, the reluctant youngster finally hit the water on his own, simply to ‘ease the boredom.’ Despite having to initially hold his head above water as he swam, Thorpe’s amazing talent was soon obvious. He began storming through school and underage meets, tearing up the record books as he went.

Such talent doesn’t go unrecognized for long. And indeed, Thorpe was quick to catch the eye of Australian Head Swimming Coach, Don Talbot. He was consequently named in the ‘Telstra Dolphins’ Squad, and picked to represent Australia at the Pan Pacific championships in Japan. Thorpe had just celebrated his 14^th birthday when he became the youngest male ever to represent his country at International level.

However everyone surrounding Thorpe was adamant: The boy was there purely for experience. Nothing more was hoped for or expected.

At least, until he turned into his last lap of the 400m final, one body length behind the lead. Thorpe ended up finishing an amazing second place, astounding everyone, not least of all Thorpe himself. By his own admission, he was there to ‘see how it all works at this sort of level’ and ‘purely to gain experience with these guys’ A silver medal at the prestigious Pan Pacs was not a bad way to debut this experience.

Back home, the media lapped it up. Thorpe’s baby face adorning the back pages of newspapers Australia wide.

However this was only the beginning.

Fast forward to the World Swimming Championships 1998, Perth Australia. Still some two years before the arrival of the Olympics, the cream of world swimming gather together for the process of deciding world champions. The likes of Michael Klim, Alexander Popov, Jenny Thompson, Susie O’Neil and Kieran Perkins. Amongst them, a 15 year old schoolboy from Sydney. Ian Thorpe.

Heralded by his achievements in Japan, but certainly not a prospect for world championship success. This time around anyway.

"Give the boy a few years, and he’ll be up there with the best of them" was the cry emanating from the Australian locker rooms.

Thorpe’s family made the trip over regardless. Schoolteacher Margaret and gardener Ken, were there to cheer on their son, as he raced next to the big guns. But as the Championships neared an end, and thanks to two gold medal swims, Thorpe himself could now be counted amongst the ‘Big Guns.’

The moment he stormed home to touch fellow teammate Grant Hackett out of first place by a matter of fingertips, Australia had itself a new World Champion. Having finished the race in first place, Thorpe recalls having to ‘Take a second look at the scoreboard. The feeling was just fantastic I couldn’t believe I’d won."

Yet being at the tender age of 15, Thorpe was unable to enjoy a celebratory drink after his achievement. Opting instead for a ‘big bowl of ice-cream and nachos’, before retiring to his room with teammates Michael Klim and Grant Hackett for a spot of serious Nintendo racing.

Despite his young age, Ian Thorpe’s days of amateur swimming were well and truly over.

As his year 10 friends back at East Hills Boys Technical School celebrated in his success, Thorpe was in the process of making one of the most important decisions of his life.

Whilst Ian Thorpe had more sporting ability than most of us could ever dream of, it seems swimming was not the only area where his talents lay. Thorpe had always excelled in his studies, squeezing in the time for homework between endless training sessions and even managing to obtain the impressive title of dux of his year. Yet with his swimming career hotting up, something had to give. And that something was his schooling. Thorpe concluded that he could no longer continue to balance his schoolwork with his swimming career without one aspect inevitably suffering, and this point in his life, swimming was his top priority. Initially however, Thorpe continued to study year 10 via correspondence, but with the hectic lead up to the Commonwealth Games, even this had to take a back foot. Ian's grueling training consists of five morning sessions waking at 4:15am and travelling to the pool for a 5:00am start where he swims until 7:00am. This is followed by weight training and a further two-hour training session in the afternoon. Not a workload designed with an aspiring student in mind.

Thorpe has never been one to attempt a challenge half-heartedly. For him, it is a 100% effort, or not at all. True to form, Thorpe hopes to return to school to complete his VCE after the 2000 Olympics when he has more time to devote to his studies.

Meanwhile, Thorpe’s career continued to boom, with golden performances at the Australian Championships, and later the Commonwealth Games. The Kuala Lumpur Games saw Thorpe secure four gold medals, including the 4 by 200 metre relay title, with the Australian team winning in a World Record breaking performance. The 200m, 400m and 4 by 100m golds completed his set, earning Thorpe the title of ‘Champion Male Swimmer of the Games.’

In a country that prides itself as a sporting nation, Ian Thorpe became Australia’s favorite son. The Thorpedo, the new Wonder Boy of swimming. Teen Sensation, Sporting Prodigy. You name it, Ian Thorpe was it. Potential sponsors fell over themselves in a bid to obtain a piece of this hot new property. Thorpe was to eventually sign with corporate giants Telstra, Westpac, Mazda, Qantas, Uncle Tobys, Sydney Water, Omega and Channel Seven and appeared in numerous ads, campaigns and magazine spreads.

The endless hours of training and early mornings were beginning to pay off in the bank balance, with contracts worth at least an estimated $100,000 each year. Add endorsement and the extra financial incentives for results in the pool, and Thorpe is expected to be one very young millionaire by the end of 1999. Thorpe, or for that matter any 16 year old who finds themselves in such a situation could be forgiven for heading a little wayward and deviating from previous aspirations and responsibilities. However, to his credit, Thorpe has managed to keep his feet planted firmly on the ground. Thanks to a close supporting network of family, friends and coaches, Thorpe has remained focused and seemingly unchanged from his sudden success. He has been seen continually devoting what free time he has towards projects such a Lifeline, visiting cancer patients, and school motivational talks.

Whilst lack of money may never be an issue for this sporting superstar, he certainly has no qualms with sharing his good fortune around. Just this year, Thorpe chipped in to buy his parents a new home on Georges River and flew his young friend Michael Williams, a cancer sufferer, to Kuala Lumpur for the Commonwealth Games. Those who know Thorpe describe him as down to Earth, incredibly mature and always willing to lend a hand; A refreshing attitude in the power and money driven world of competitive sport.

"The material rewards that come from swimming are always nice, but it’s the results in the pool that I strive for."

However, it may be somewhat reassuring to hear that champions no matter what their caliber, have their faults. And according to Thorpe’s mother Margaret, Ian is no exception. She describes his bedroom as a mess, and says Thorpe spends far too much time watching Friends and Ally McBeal or playing computer games in his room.

Step past the layers of medals, and peal away that coating of gold, and underneath, one suspects that Ian Thorpe may just be your average boy next door.

Rome, 1994. Those who were present to watch Keiren Perkins set a new world record in the 400 meters freestyle were convinced. This was a record that was here to stay. In fact, many agreed that they had just seen what was perhaps one of the best swims ever. To beat Perkins’s record would be a feat of super human proportions, if not altogether impossible.

It seems no-body bothered to explain this to Thorpe.

At the 1999 Pan Pacific Championships in Sydney, exactly two years after his International debut, Thorpe once again stood on the blocks before the 400m. A lot had happened between the two games and Thorpe was now older, stronger fitter and quicker. This time, he wasn’t prepared to settle for second pace.

Thorpe led our hard from the start and was under the world record splits at every turn. As he turned into the final lap, the crowd sensed the approaching record and joined together to cheer on the teenager. Thorpe touched at 3.41.83 with only a vast expanse of water behind him. Teammate Grant Hackett arrived in at second place, but not before Ian Thorpe had punched the air in victory, the crowd had risen to their feet in appreciation and the first bars of Men At Work’s ‘Land Down Under’ began resounding through the Sydney International Aquatic Center.

In a sport that’s won and lost by a matter of fingertips, where world records are are measured by 100ths of seconds, Thorpe had smashed Perkins mark by almost 2 full seconds, a magnitude almost unheard of in world swimming.

Don Talbot, who had until that moment remained tight lipped about the teenager’s ability and potential, finally opened up and declared Thorpe the best swimmer he had ever seen. Fellow teammates, coaches and former swimming champions added comments to the same effect, many believing that Thorpe’s race could be classed as the best swim of all time.

Scientists did nothing to counteract this theory, claiming the swim was almost technically perfect. Thorpe went on to break four World Records in four days at the Pan Pacifics, cementing his title of the best male swimmer in the world.

This in itself, is nothing short of phenomenal, when we are reminded that Thorpe is still only 16 years of age, a full 2-4 years off reaching his full height and strength potential. Not to say that Ian Thorpe is not already developed. At 195cm, he is 20cm than the average boy of his age and weighs in at 97 kg, 35 kg above average. His aerobic endurance is among the best in the Australian swim team, and his body fat level is a low 7%.

So from where does this overload of physical and swimming talent derive from? Certainly not his parents, according to his sister, Christina, herself a former Australian swimmer. Thorpe’s mother got no further than school swimming carnivals, and his father cannot swim a stroke to save himself, preferring to direct his skills toward A grade cricket. Ken initially hoped his son would follow in his footsteps, but Thorpe proved to be a fish out of water in any land based sports. Big, clumsy and with no hand eye co-ordination, he boasted only a moderate talent in any of his other sporting pursuits, swimming being the sole exception. It was only when he dived into the pool that he became Ian Thorpe, Sporting Superstar.

As we head into the year 2000, the prospect of Olympic Games looms ever closer, and where to from there is anybody’s guess. Just how good this boy can get no-body dares to speculate.

But one thing all are agreed upon, is that Ian Thorpe is an amazing talent, a World Champion athlete. And a great guy.