http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/11/21/1163871376986.html
"I also know there is a lot of people out there that want me to keep swimming. I only hoped that I wanted to swim half as much as other people want me to.‘’
Perhaps some of the 3am peeps on Slowtwitch could pep him up a little. The big question now, of course, is what the hell is he going to do with himself? He is only 24.
Not too cheerful…
He looks pretty worn out.
I’m sure he’ll take a break, and decide what’s best. And it may or may not include swimming.
He had a long break after the Olympics (a year out) and has recently been living in LA. I think he just can’t motivate himslef anymore.
I guess he got tired of waking up at 4:30am everyday and swimming for 5 hours!
.
He should run a marathon!
Or maybe someone can convince him to be part of a Silverman relay.
Ok. Thorpe, Lance, and Who??? Meb maybe???
Ok. Thorpe, Lance, and Who??? Meb maybe???
Wow - could you imagine those 3 in top form? Hell with Ian then Lance, I could run the marathon part and still collect my part of the 100K …
No, Meb is an American so you would need someone of another nationality since you have an Aussie and American already. How about Paula Radcliffe?
Somebody get him a bike.
I’m sponsoring a team for next year’s Silverman - Grant Hackett, Fabian Cancellara, and Paul Tergat 
.
I think Ian Thorpe is an example of what happens if something comes too easily to you. His peak performances were when he was about 16 years old. That can make sense for a woman, but, absent serious injury, men should peak much later in life. Think how fast he could have gone had he been motivated to continue to work hard on the events that he was good at (200, 400, 800 and maybe even the 1500) instead of playing games and trying to be a sprinter? Despite all that he did do, IMO, he really did not achieve what he could have achieved. But, for whatever reason, he apparently lost the will to excel at a fairly young age.
So, what in the world is he going to do for the rest of his life? Some athletes do go on to do other significant things, but it’s really unusual to have that much athletic talent and also have considerable talent at anything else.
Now, without Ian Thorpe and with Grant Hackett getting on in years, does Australia win any gold medals in Mens’ Swimming in 2008? Two years can be an eternity in swimming, but I think that how good the two of them were really scared young Australians off from trying to excel. Since pretty much everyone assumed that Grant Hackett and Ian Thorpe would swim the 400 and probably swim the 200 at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, there was really no room for anyone else to make the team for a long time.
I think Ian Thorpe is an example of what happens if something comes too easily to you.
For all his natural talent, you don’t get to where he got to “easily”. Simply do not.
He should race Clearwater! Oh wait, there are too many drafters…
Somebody get him a bike.
…and running shoes.
“The big question now, of course, is what the hell is he going to do with himself? He is only 24.”
maybe he’ll marry me!
You are exactly right. A guy like Hackett has been one of the hardest working swimmers I have ever seen - he literally crawls out of the pool every day. Thorpe is blessed with phenomenal genes and talent and he couldn’t help but win. I believe that he didn’t reach his full potential, and the swith to sprinting seemed to be a way to cut back on the hours in the pool that he detested. However, if you don’t want it anymore…
He now seems poised for a career in media, but many will say for a long time that we have witnessed the greatest freestyler of all time - a person we might never see again - and he hasn’t fulfilled his amazing potential.
As to your other point, Australian men’s swimming is in deep shit. Hackett looks like the only chance for a gold medal in Beijing. The womens (ode to jonnyo) are looking good for a sackful of golds, though.
I don’t think he’ll be marrying a girl…the rumours persist.
Sorry:)
Thorpe would have got wrecked at the Silverman swim this year. Seriously. I guess he retired because he was scared to race me. Kidding.
if he races the organisers will have to limit him to kicking - they might go as far as giving him a kick-board!