Thorpey calls it quits
The most memorable moment for me from the 2004 Athens Olympic Games was the 200 metre freestyle final, which pitted Australian hero Ian Thorpe against the phenomonal Michael Phelps from the U.S. Thorpe held the World Record in this distance leading up to the race, and he stood in the way of Phelps winning a record amount of gold medals. Also in the race was Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband, the man who had denied Thorpe Gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Of course, in the final at Athens, Thorpey destroyed his two great rivals, winning the final by over half a second. He silenced the hopes of Phelps and gained retribution for his defeat at the Sydney Olympics.
Thorpe’s reaction after winning the 200 metre freestyle at the 2004 Athens Olympics
The pressure he received at home to succeed coupled with his recent battles with illness left Thorpey unmotivated to succeed, which is why he decided to leave the sport. In Australia, there is no higher status than being a sporting celebrity and Thorpey is right up there with Don Bradman, Dawn Fraser, Pat Rafter, and Steve Waugh as legends in Australia. He’ll never have to buy himself a beer in any pub!
Thorpe finishes his career after breaking 13 World Records and winning 11 World Championships and 5 Olympic gold medals. He still holds the World Record in the 200 & 400 metre freestyle.
It was better he retire now while at his peak than after Beijing in 2008 when he may not have lived up to his very high standards. Its a shame that his personal life, in particular his sexuality, has been talked about in the media - it is irrelevant and was likely a factor in his retirement. Like other early retirees such as Shane Gould (retireed when she was 16 after winning 3 gold medals in the 72 Olympics), he will always be remembered dominating the pool.
Does Australia have enough young talent to fill his shoes? The Australian women will probably be better than ever in 2008, but we will struggle in the mens in both short course and distance events.