One of the greatest swimmers in Olympic history, Ian Thorpe has announced his return from retirement. The 28-year-old Australian has stated his intention to compete for his country at the 2012 Olympics in London; these games would be his third.
Four years in the wilderness
Thorpe has not swum competitively since he retired from the sport in 2006 at the age of just 24. Since then the 6ft 5in Olympic champion, who was given the nickname 'Thorpedo' as a result of his excellence in the pool, has been spending his time away from the sport by undertaking a university degree in psychology. He has also made cameo appearances in films and on television, but after five years of retirement his desire for swimming has returned.
'Thorpedo' ready to take on world again
There has been speculation since the day that Thorpe retired in 2006 that he may return to compete at the highest level again someday and on Wednesday he revealed in a press conference that he has been back in training since last September. Thorpe revealed that the thought of competing in London next year had reinvigorated his motivation to get back in the pool.
"I went to see the swimming venue for the London Olympics and it's an extraordinary venue and I could taste it, which is something I haven't felt for a very long time," he told the gathered journalists in Sydney.
Thorpe has apparently been conducting his training in a number of pools to try to keep speculation of a return down to a minimum until he was ready to commit fully to the Olympic build-up.
Can Thorpe compete with the best?
Ian Thorpe was a sensation in swimming. He became the youngest ever World Champion when he won the 400m freestyle at the tender age of just 16 and went on to claim a further ten World Championship golds in the following years. In his two Olympic Games, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, he won five gold medals, three silver and one bronze.
Since he retired in 2006, Thorpe has seen his main rival at the 2004 Olympics, Michael Phelps, dominate the sport. The American was the star of the 2008 Beijing Games as he broke the record of Mark Spitz and won eight gold medals to become the most successful swimmer of all time.
Although there was very little to separate the talents of Thorpe and Phelps pre 2006, there are huge questions marks surrounding Thorpe's ability to compete with the great American after five years away from the sport. With just under two years still to go until the 2012 Games start in London there is time for Thorpe to regain his peak fitness and get back to his imposing best. However, swimming's governing body, FINA states that competitors must be registered for drug testing for nine months before taking part in competitive races, which means Thorpe will not be able to race until the end of 2011. This would leave him with less than a years worth of competitive action before London 2012.
Only time will tell whether Ian Thorpe can make a return to the top of the podium after five years away from the swimming pool, but there is no doubt that the sight of Thorpe and Phelps in the same pool in London will be one of the highlights of the 2012 Olympics.
Luke Winter - With a degree in Media and Sports Journalism I am a keen fan of any and all sports. I have been writing about the sporting world for the ...
