Ian Thorpe: The Swimmer

I'm Ian Thorpe.

I'm 28 years of age.

I'm a swimmer.

Ian Thorpe interview,

January 16, 2011.

Day one.

Is he being a dickwit,

or is he being serious?

No, he's tagging.

No, I'm being serious.

'Cause the thing is...

He can hear you.

I look at what I can do,

and from what I've kind of seen,

I... I think that I can

swim faster

than what all the other people

are doing.

Do you think you can

swim faster than you did?

Yep.

If I didn't think I could do it,

I'm putting at risk

my entire career

that, you know, is,

if you look at it,

you know, statistically,

it's pretty impressive...

And these people can't drive.

And I'm saying, 'You know what?

I want another crack at this.'

Um, I think there's more things that

I can do.

The team needs better results

than what it's had,

and I still think I have

something more to give.

The first talk of a comeback

was about December,

and really, that talk

has not stopped since then

and yesterday,

it became an avalanche...

I tell you what, Andy, he

still draws a crowd, Ian Thorpe.

Something like 15 cameras

from around the world,

all eyes on our most successful

Olympian in the pool.

A five-time Olympic

gold medallist and now...

So I just went down.

The room is quite big.

Yeah. They've had to

move the stage back...

Oh, God.

..because there's more people.

The level of expectation

that's on me is enormous.

It's probably only outweighed by

my own expectations.

And because of venous

drug testing requirements,

how long is it till you can race?

It's nine months

until I'm allowed to compete,

and we'll make a decision

on how much competition I need

as opposed to how much training

I need and the experience as well.

You know, I haven't felt this way

about swimming

for a very, very long time.

And then what

about this bloke? 15.

Lane 5.

Someone wake him up.

He's gotta swim the final.

Ian Thorpe of Australia.

Youngest Australian

male international

since John Konrads.

What a big moment for him.

And away.

Check both the Australians. Hackett,

a good start.

Likewise, Thorpe,

splitting the pair.

So the two Australians immediately

take it out in front.

Grant Hackett,

the young Australian,

is out by a couple

of body lengths.

And Thorpe has moved

to second place.

Australia, one and two.

Thorpe is moving through

beautifully.

He's timed his run to perfection.

It's Thorpe coming over the top.

Hackett is trying to hang on.

Great for Australia!

Two gold caps fighting it out!

Thorpe! Thorpe!

Thorpe may be in front.

Thorpe, Hackett.

Thorpe and Hackett, they go in.

They hit it! Thorpe won it!

Thorpe!

World champion at 15!

Oh, that's unbelievable!

I was probably 13

when I actually started racing

in the open competition.

By the time I was 14,

I was on the national team,

and then I think it was

probably when I was 15, when...

Yeah, it was only when

I became world champion

that I actually went,

'Oh, I'm really good at this.'

That was the best tactical race

I have ever seen.

I don't know about that.

I just wasn't too sure

how I was gonna do it,

but, you know,

it paid off this time.

Yeah, it has been great having

my sister, who's also a swimmer,

and my dad, who was a cricketer, in

the family,

and, um, they've gotten behind me

and they've really helped me

with my swimming.

In 1997, I think I missed

108 of 200 days of school.

So I finished Year 10

by correspondence,

and I sat exams on planes

and things like that

just to finish it,

and then left school.

You know, I was in

an adult world then.

I wasn't in that, you know,

grow up with your mates

and go to parties and things.

You know, some of my friends,

to me, seemed old,

'cause they were

in their mid-to late-20s

and I knew them from the team.

Just continually having a camera

shoved in your face, really.

Um, you have to learn

how to speak, I think,

and I think it's gonna be

great for me in the future.

- Is he gonna do it?

- 3:
43:80?

Thorpe comes in! Thorpe comes in!

It's pretty cool

that no-one swam faster than that

in history.

Let's look back at our history

as a species,

and, yeah,

you were faster than everyone,

so if the lions were chasing you,

you could beat everyone

and they'd eat someone else.

The Thorpedo.

The 16-year-old from Milperra

is at the 15-metre rope.

He's looking at another

world record.

World record, Sunday.

World record, Monday.

Will it be a world record

on Tuesday?

He comes down to touch.

Yes! Oh, yes! He's done it!

He has done it again!

I know I cried, his sister cried,

and I think Ken inwardly cried.

When I was younger,

you know, my goal was

to become an Olympian

and my dream was to win

Olympic gold.

So when I made the Olympic team, it

was frightening

because I've never swum

at the Olympics,

I feel like I'm just a kid...

- Take your marks.

- Set...

And Thorpe is away.

A new Olympic record

this morning.

Ian Thorpe

got a magnificent start.

Yes, the traditional

butterfly kick off the wall.

You can see it

under the water there.

And he's well ahead

of world record pace.

He is looking sensational.

Ian Thorpe is number one.

A kickstart for Australia.

Size 18 feet.

And look at that world record.

He's got it beaten.

Thorpe is coming in gold

and a world record.

Ian Thorpe!

I wish I enjoyed it more

when I won my first gold,

but I was actually

thinking of my next race.

Thorpey. Thorpey.

Even when I'm marching around

the pool with my gold medal,

you know, it's kind of neat

that you've got it,

but trying not to

let myself enjoy it too much

so I get distracted.

So it was, you know,

quite managed,

which is, you know, unfortunate,

but given, you know,

what was about to happen,

it was worthwhile.

The 4x100 freestyle relay

at the Sydney Olympics

was kind of, you know...

I guess, for Australians,

it was really an iconic moment

in sport.

You know, we were most definitely, in

that race, the underdogs.

Once we'd decided on our team

for the 4x100 relay,

there was a tremendous sense within

the entire swim team

that we could win this race.

Michael Klim has just

broken the world record.

Everyone in that race all went

far beyond their means

to produce that performance.

Round they go for the final 50.

Hall is in front.

What can the champ muster?

A gold medallist earlier tonight.

Now he's digging deep.

The crowd is roaring.

Their hero is coming up.

Hall and Thorpe. Thorpe's

in front! Thorpe and Hall!

Thorpe goes in! Australia win! New

world record!

We have just...

The Australians have just broke the

Americans' stranglehold.

Yeah, on paper,

we shouldn't have won.

The Americans were

the world record holders,

and they've never been beaten

in Olympic history,

and the euphoric way that you feel on

an occasion like that

is, you know...

It really is indescribable.

You know, all my dreams and more

happened on the first day,

um, and I think Australia woke up

with a hangover

after that day of competition.

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