Ian Thorpe: The Swimmer Page #2

So you're finally leaving

Australia to start your training.

That's exciting.

It's kind of weird as well, because

it's kind of...

It's like it's all happened now.

It's kind of, like,

the beginning of the next phase.

Yeah, it is. It really is.

It's great.

So... But it's cool.

And I had issues.

I was really stressed

at the airport

because I had issues filling in

my drug testing form

to give my whereabouts.

Um, you have to let them know where

you are

for one hour every day,

and if you're not there

in that one hour of the day,

you get a strike

against your name.

So if you get one strike,

you have to start providing

more information.

Right.

So... And I couldn't.

The system was so slow

in updating it

and I couldn't remember

how to do it.

Just, like...

I had a drug test last night.

Where? At home?

Yeah.

How did that go?

The funniest thing that I was,

like...

You know, I think I'm pretty good at

it now, doing the sample,

and I...

Yeah.

So I finished giving my sample,

or was halfway through providing,

but I'd filled enough.

So I put the beaker thing,

and you've got a lid for it,

and so I was, like,

'Oh, I'll put the lid on

as I finish going to toilet,'

and I pushed it on,

hand soaked right through it.

I'm, like, 'Oh.' And then I'm, like,

'Is the sample big enough?'

I'm, 'Uh...' Trying to...

Yeah. Anyway, um...

So that was my drug test

last night.

Nice.

So why have you come here

on your own? Is it to get away?

Is it to focus?

Yeah, it's just so that there's not

another layer of things

that I have to handle

and do and...

Why would you make something that's

already hard

more difficult?

That's what I like about my sport and

about training,

that pursuit of perfection.

Ask me in six months, but,

you know, when I compete,

I compete knowing that, you know,

I've trained harder

than everyone else,

and usually my competitors

know that as well,

so when it comes to race day, uh,

usually I have very little concern

around what I'm gonna do.

So how are you going

with getting back to that

elite level of training?

Is it going well?

Well, not crap. I'm just not as good

as I should be.

But there's something

in the combination of my size,

my hip width, my proportions

just work for what I do.

Now that I have to do

shorter events,

I really have to modify

the technique that I have

to suit those events.

So this part here

is called the catch,

um, and then all the way

to the catch is the recovery,

so I'm actually usually there

when I start to catch, here.

So my other arm's above the water,

which is just...

Like, you can see how

it's kind of a bit odd.

So I have to now initiate here, which

I've never done before,

when this hand's coming

under water there,

which is right for sprinting,

and so you kind of throw yourself

over the top.

Maybe it's true that

this whole thing

will take longer

than what I thought.

18 months of training might not be

enough to make the Olympic team.

Maybe what I'm attempting

is impossible.

And the winner of Australia's most

popular male Olympian

is Ian Thorpe.

The Young Australian of the Year is

Ian Thorpe.

Well, the Telstra

People's Choice Award this year

goes to Ian Thorpe.

He makes swimming look so easy.

His name is Thorpe, the greatest

that we've probably ever seen.

He's a very good

media performer.

I think he's astute,

he gets the media.

The intrigue and the mystique

and the aura

had made it, 'We want more.

We want more.'

We noticed the BRW quoted

Michael and Suzie and Ian

all being around the $1.2,

$1.3 million-dollar earnings

in sponsorships.

One of the biggest criticisms

from the Australian public

has been sometimes

Ian's been too manufactured

and too silky-smooth

in his delivery.

- Goodnight, Angels.

- Goodnight, Thorpey.

I think I grew up

a little bit too quick.

When I was 15, that was on the

street, that level of recognition

and, you know,

people wanting to have a chat,

you know, autographs, photos.

I don't know

if I was ever excited about it.

If I was out in public, more often

than not, I'd have my head down

to try and avoid

people recognising me.

Adoring fans

are nothing new for Ian Thorpe,

but he says two admirers

carried the devotion too far.

With the actions that these people

actually took place,

the police were concerned, and when

the police were concerned,

you know, I was also concerned.

He's not a bloke's bloke.

He's not your cardboard

cut-out Aussie bloke.

How's the girl scene going?

Um, I wish it was going a little bit

better than what it is.

Um, I don't have a girlfriend

at the moment, unfortunately.

I would love to be able

to meet a girl

and to actually have to introduce

myself and say what I do.

What about marriage and kids?

I wanna be married with 2.3 kids.

Do you sleep with men or women?

With women.

You sleep with women?

Yeah.

The first time I heard about it,

I think I was 15.

Like, that early.

A lot of gay men

were putting up posters of me

and at the time, I was, like, 'Eh,

it's a complement.'

It's just that being asked

about it, it just gets annoying.

I think, in some ways,

people feel threatened by me,

because they can't define

exactly what I am.

While he has the world

at his feet,

life at the top

is taking its toll.

I'm very paranoid

about everything now.

You know, I didn't like that I'm

being talked about all the time,

that my life, you know,

became a soap opera.

I false-started at the Olympic trials

and was disqualified

from my favourite event.

My close friend Craig Stevens

had to give me his place

so that I could race.

The decision I've made is to stand

aside in the 400m freestyle

in the hope that I'll get to see Ian

swim that race

on the final of day one

of the Olympic Games.

I felt an immense amount

of pressure

to have to win this race now,

not for myself, but, you know,

for Craig, for the team,

um, and, you know,

it made it difficult.

Clean start.

Thorpe up very quickly here,

into his stroke.

Hackett with him.

I didn't hate swimming.

I hated what was around swimming.

I hated that everyone kind of assumed

that I just went

and that it was easy for me,

and it's not.

It's tough.

Hasn't lost for six years.

Hackett's very close.

Really close.

Closing. Thorpe and Hackett,

it's gonna be a touch.

They hit it. Thorpe's got it.

What a race!

Hackett, second,

and third, Keller.

One, two for Australia.

And Thorpe wins his fourth

gold medal at the Olympic Games

and joins Murray Rose,

Betty Cuthbert and Dawn Frazer

as the only Australians in all

sports in 108 years to do it.

Ian Thorpe,

he is a true champion.

Look at the emotion.

He knows how hard the last year has

been for him,

and he's done it.

An absolute legend.

I've never seen him like this.

I mean, he's in tears, basically.

Pronto. Come stai?

E, bene, bene.

Uh, OK. Perfetto.

OK, ciao.

Yeah, I'm not going crazy.

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