I am shocked and saddened!
From USA Today:
Thorpe, 24, held a news conference Tuesday to announce his decision at a downtown Sydney hotel.
Thorpe said he came to the decision at "2:53 on Saturday afternoon" not to swim at next year's world championships in Melbourne and to finish his professional swimming career.
Plagued by illness, injury and a lack of motivation, Thorpe hasn't competed in a major international event since the Athens Olympics.
Thorpe burst onto the swimming scene as a teenager and swam to 13 world records between 1990-2002, becoming an international star after dominating the pool at the Sydney Olympics.
Thorpe and American Michael Phelps are acknowledged as the world stars of the sport.
The Australian swimmer, nicknamed "Thorpedo," won the 200- and 400-meter freestyle events at the Athens Olympics.
He planned a year-long break after Athens, claiming "mental fatigue" and hoping to stay fresh for major competitions down the road.
He later decided not to compete at last year's world championships in Montreal, then dropped out of the Commonwealth Games in March due to a bout of glandular fever.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
www.usatoday.com/.../2006-11-20-thorpe-retires-update_x.htm
Former Member
In Phelps' defense, I think he had slacked off quite a bit in his training before the World Champs in '05. However, I agree that he is unlikely to pursue the 400 Free again on 2008. No single swimmer can dominate all events and I suspect that Bowman will see to it that Phelps concentrates his efforts where they are most likely to acheive success.
Thanks for the insight Frank.
Former Member
I think it was time for him to retire even though he is 24. He was not happy.
I hope he's happy with whatever he does next. I'm glad we got to see him race, though I wish he'd hung around for two more years. This is going to hurt the Aussies, and their relays big time!
I wonder what Phelps' reaction to the news was... Although I am sure he's pleased that he's probably now a sho-in for the 200 and 400 gold, I bet he's PO'd he won't be able to have an Olympic rematch of the Athens matchup.
Props to the Thorpedo for not dragging it out. Best of luck to him.
He was probably worn out from the OZ press and immense expectations. Gary Hall Jr. says he'll be back:
"AMERICAN swimming great Gary Hall Jr says personal experience tells him Ian Thorpe can return to win gold at the Beijing Olympics even if he misses next year's world championships."
Five-time Olympic champion Thorpe is to make an announcement on his swimming future in Sydney at midday.
Although I am sure he's pleased that he's probably now a sho-in for the 200 and 400 gold
There are guys named Hackett and van den Hoogenband who would vehemently disagree with you.
Former Member
There are tons of rumors about thorpe and his reasons for training in LA. It is really hard to believe tht he is retiring so young.
Former Member
Thank goodness that we have all been blessed with the opporunity to see him race.
We shouldn't be sad that he is retiring. We should all look back at the moments he has provided the swimming world and smile.
Good luck in whatever future endeavors hold for the Great One.
