Episode 310: “The Thorpedo: Australia’s Greatest Swimmer” - Ian Thorpe
Description
Episode 310 of “The Sports Experience Podcast” is here & we’re back in the pool discussing Ian Thorpe.
Born into an athletic family, Thorpe established himself as an amazing swimmer from an early age. What made this even more incredible was the fact he overcame a childhood allergy to chlorine.
At age 17, Thorpe won five gold medals at the 1999 Pan Pacific Championships in his hometown of Sydney and established himself as one of the greatest middle distance freestyle swimmers in world history.
At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Thorpe was nothing short of incredible. He won a gold medal in the 400 m freestyle with a world record, won another in the 4x200 m freestyle relay and helped his country upset the United States of America in the 4x100 m freestyle relay which was an event the Americans had yet to lose at an Olympics.
Overall, Thorpe won three gold medals, two silver medals and was the toast of Sydney in his iconic full body swimsuit.
Thorpe followed up his success in 2000 with more gold medals in Athens at the Summer Olympics in 2004. Thorpe won gold medals in the 200 m freestyle and the 400 m freestyle. The last of which he almost never competed in due to a false start at the Olympic Trials!
Overall, Thorpe won five gold medals, three silver and two bronze during his swimming career. Since his retirement, Thorpe has been involved in numerous charities surrounding Aboriginal people and the LGBTQ+ communities. His tireless work and efforts in and out of the pool have made him a national hero, and he is likely to remain the greatest swimmer in the history of his country.
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