:applaud::applaud::applaud:
Great news for swimming.
SYDNEY, Australia, February 1. IAN Thorpe, a four-time Swimming World Magazine World Swimmer of the Year, is expected to announce his return from a retirement dating back to Nov. 2006 according to Nicole Jeffery of the Australian.
First hinted at in May 2010, when Thorpe first dashed speculation of a comeback bid, Thorpe's expected return comes on the heels of Olympic silver medalist Geoff Huegill's remarkable return during which he first jumped back into the pool to lose nearly 100 pounds.
Thorpe, a five-time Olympic gold medalist, is 28 years old and stated he made up his mind to return in September 2010. He began the path back with a three-day trial, then committed to three weeks before stretching his training to three months.
"I made the decision back in September to return to competitive swimming," Thorpe said in a presser today. "I was taken to the swimming venue for the London Olympics, and I could taste it. I hadn't felt this way about swimming for a very long time. I didn't get back into the pool for any other reason than to be able to compete at the elite level."
Thorpe additionally revealed that he will be focusing on relay duty for Australia with the 100 and 200 freestyles as his primary events. He also explained that Swimming Australia head coach Leigh Nugent has been coaching Thorpe via text messages with his training plan, while Thorpe rotated through eight different pools to eliminate the chance that anyone would notice that he was back to full training.
"Australia is struggling a little bit for a really strong international competitor in the pool. Someone like Ian will bolster the team - if he is back it will be extraordinary," two-time Olympic gold medalist Kieren Perkins told the Australian.
Thorpe will need to file his paperwork with FINA at least nine months before Australia's Olympic Trials, which means his paperwork would need to be in towards the end of May.
www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../26372.asp
I was shocked when I saw that I saw that he wasn't as ripped as I thought when the cameras caught him without his bodysuit in 2004.
He was always a big guy, but I saw some pictures of him recently and he was way bigger than when he was swimming.
Has anyone told him NO Full TECH suits??:badday:
OMG I bet no one has! I bet he sucks without it! Poor, fat, hopeless swimmer :)
I am so happy to be able to see him swim again. Don't care what race he does or how well he does in it. He was wonderful to watch.
Good for him! Actually, it's probably in his best interest since we all know how he looks now.
He's going to have do get back into shape first...
When was this photo?! LOL, he looks like me....NOW!:D
When was this photo?! LOL, he looks like me....NOW!:D
That photo was published about 2 years, maybe 3 years ago. Thorpe said in the press conference that he had lost 5 kgs, with another 5 to lose to get back to his racing weight.
He has about 15 months until the Aussie Olympic Trials.
Do you think he can make the Aussie team in anything but a relay? I don't. I do not think he can be top 2 in either the 100 or the 200. To make a relay I suppose he just needs to be top 6.
The body suit he used to wear was not a "tech suit" so I have my doubts it was that big a help for him. Maybe it provided compression, but not flotation since it was permeable.
I loved watching him race, and his freestyle stroke (see underwater on Youtube) is remarkable. But unless he is already in good shape I don't see his comeback succeeding.
