{"id":706985,"date":"2026-05-31T21:26:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T21:26:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/706985\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T21:26:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T21:26:25","slug":"ian-thorpe-on-learning-to-fit-in-after-a-career-spent-standing-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/706985\/","title":{"rendered":"Ian Thorpe on learning to fit in after a career spent standing out"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Ian Thorpe burst onto the international swimming stage at just 14, he became a world-champion swimmer and a household name.<\/p>\n

It was the late 1990s and the national countdown to the Sydney Olympics was on.<\/p>\n

Millions tuned in to watch the teen sensation with feet like flippers as he raced \u2014 and won \u2014 against adult men, often strokes ahead.<\/p>\n

\"Mid-scream,<\/p>\n

In the 200-metre freestyle final at the Athens Games, Ian Thorpe claimed his first Olympic gold for the event. (AAP: Dean Lewins)<\/p>\n

Across a near-mythic career, he smashed dozens of race records and claimed nine Olympic medals \u2014 all while contending with intense national pressure and speculation about his personal life.<\/p>\n

But pursuing success in his sport presented an almost cruel dichotomy for Thorpe; he craved silence over the spotlight.<\/p>\n

\"Ian<\/p>\n

Across his career under the media microscope, Ian Thorpe drew adulation and scrutiny in equal measure. (Getty: Robert Cianflone)<\/p>\n

“I’m someone who is more comfortable in small groups, or by myself,” the 43-year-old told ABC iview’s The Assembly.<\/a><\/p>\n

“I do usually find that after something like this, that I am more tired than most people are from doing it.”<\/p>\n

A self-described introvert, Thorpe selectively attends large or “extroverted” events and uses positive self-talk to calm himself.<\/p>\n

“I’ve had to learn to be comfortable \u2026 to be able to get through it,” Thorpe said.<\/p>\n

“For me, it’s occasionally taking a break and just going, ‘I’m all right, I’m OK’.<\/p>\n

“I give myself a bit of a pep talk before I do it, and usually it’s OK \u2014 it’s not as big of a deal as what I made it out in my head to be.”<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>‘Everyone expected me to win’<\/p>\n

It’s probably unsurprising that during his swimming career Thorpe favoured being underwater and escaping the din of the cheering crowds.<\/p>\n

“My favourite part is the silence,” he said.<\/p>\n

Thorpe still vividly recalls his experience competing.<\/p>\n

\"Dawn<\/p>\n

Olympic great Dawn Fraser leads the Australian Swimming Team in supporting Ian Thorpe during his 400m freestyle final at the Sydney Games. (Getty: Nick Wilson\/Frank Seguin, AFP: Timothy Clary)<\/p>\n

“I’ll have a cheer of the crowd when I’m in flight,” he said.<\/p>\n

“When I depart off the blocks, I pierce through the water into a streamline position. I hear the noise that the water makes from the splash and then the way that water and air is moving off my body.<\/p>\n

“It’s like changing worlds in that moment. I really go into my sensory experience at that point.”<\/p>\n

Reflecting on his record-breaking swims at the Sydney Olympics \u2014 and winning three gold and two silver medals \u2014 Thorpe said it was an “amazing” time for him.<\/p>\n

\"Ian<\/p>\n

The Sydney Olympics was a career highlight for Ian Thorpe, claiming medals in multiple events in front of a hometown crowd. (AFP: Timothy Cary\/Joel Saget\/Greg Wood)<\/p>\n

“I’m from Sydney \u2014 I still live in Sydney \u2014 and when I was young, I never thought I was going to be old enough for the Sydney Olympics,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I always thought I wouldn’t have matured enough as an athlete by then.”<\/p>\n

With seemingly the entire country barracking for Thorpe, expectations were high.<\/p>\n

“Everyone just expected me to win \u2014 so [there was] a lot of pressure,” he said.<\/p>\n

The highly marketable Thorpe found himself an international sporting celebrity, with appearances on US TV shows and sponsorship deals that put his face on buses, billboards and cereal boxes.<\/p>\n

This resulted in a far-from-typical adolescence, explained his friend and fellow Olympian Kirsten Thomson.<\/p>\n

“Ian had to grow up very quickly, and his life wasn’t normal from a very young age,” Thomson told The Assembly.<\/p>\n

“I can remember one point we visited Japan, and there were just mobs of Japanese people trying to get on buses that he was on.”<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Kirsten Thomson, pictured with Ian Thorpe in 2000 and earlier this year, said he was “one of the most famous people in the world”. (AAP: Andy Tyndall\/LinkedIn: Kristen Thomson)<\/p>\n

‘People accept me as gay’<\/p>\n

Thorpe’s discomfort in the spotlight is understandable, especially given the persistent questions he fielded, particularly about his sexuality.<\/p>\n

He was only 16 when he was first asked by a reporter whether he was gay \u2014 a question he spent the next 15 years rebuffing and denying.<\/p>\n

So, was it hard for Thorpe to find approval when he came out at 31?<\/a><\/p>\n

“It wasn’t actually,” he said.<\/p>\n

“It wasn’t terribly difficult to have people accept me as gay.”<\/p>\n

But Thorpe knows that coming out can be complicated for many people, which further reinforced his decision to go public.<\/p>\n

“[It] makes it easier for someone else to come out who may be in circumstances that are more difficult \u2026 so someone else’s journey is a little bit easier,” he said.<\/p>\n

Thorpe said some of the questions he faced about his sexuality were founded on him not fitting the “Aussie bloke” stereotype.<\/p>\n

\"Ian<\/p>\n

Ian Thorpe and his cavoodle Kaia participated in a dog show for WorldPride in 2023. (AAP: Steven Saphore)<\/p>\n

“A lot of it is around expectations of how someone should appear, rather than just letting you be,” he said.<\/p>\n

We need to “continue to do a better job”, Thorpe said, at accepting a broader view of masculinity.<\/p>\n

“In this country I believe we are becoming more comfortable in reflecting different facets \u2026 [of] diversity rather than one particular image that, ‘This is how we expect people to fit in.'”<\/p>\n

‘There’s something not quite right’<\/p>\n

Two years after coming out, Thorpe continued to share his inner world, this time speaking openly about his experiences with depression.<\/a><\/p>\n

“From the outside, many would not see my pain nor be able to relate to the sometimes-daily struggle I was facing,” he wrote in a blog post for Huffington Post Australia.<\/p>\n

\"Ian<\/p>\n

Ian Thorpe, 19, attending GQ magazine’s Man of the Year awards where he was awarded Australian Sportsman of the Year. (AAP: Dean Lewins)<\/p>\n

Thorpe told The Assembly that he spoke up as he could see other high-level athletes struggling behind the scenes with their own mental health issues, but no-one was talking about it.<\/p>\n

“There’s a sense of guilt that you have that, ‘My life should be good, but I don’t feel that way’,” he said.<\/p>\n

“And so, you feel that you can’t live an authentic or sincere life.”<\/p>\n

Thorpe said his mental health issues weren’t caused by the heavy media scrutiny he experienced and that it’s still something he has to manage.<\/p>\n

“I was \u2014 and I am \u2014 someone with depression,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I realised it when I was in my teens: ‘There’s something that’s not quite right. I’m not experiencing happiness and joy in a way that it should be.'”<\/p>\n

\"Teenaged<\/p>\n

Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett at the 1997 Pan Pacific Games. At 14, Thorpe became the youngest male medallist in the event’s history. (Getty: Al Bello)<\/p>\n

At the time, Thorpe said he didn’t have the language to articulate what he was feeling but he’s become “better equipped” at managing it.<\/p>\n

“I’m in a good mental space right now and it fluctuates,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I’m more aware of what I’m going through and what my own mental health journey looks like.”<\/p>\n

While he concedes that “reliving” his life’s dark periods “isn’t fun”, it’s helping to lessen the stigma.<\/p>\n

“As we talk about mental health a lot more, it becomes part of a vernacular of what people are going through. Those conversations come a lot easier and people have an understanding.”<\/p>\n

Life in the spotlight<\/p>\n

Since Thorpe officially hung up his professional swimming cap, he’s reflected on what he achieved.<\/p>\n

“About one-third of my life was in the spotlight, if not more,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I had already had a career as most people are starting.”<\/p>\n

\"Ad<\/p>\n

When Ian Thorpe retired he was one of the world’s most recognisable sportsmen, mixing with celebrities and global leaders. (AAP: Matthias Engesser\/Getty: Patrick Riviere\/AAP: Torsten Blackwood)<\/p>\n

Global fame meant Thorpe was offered incredible experiences, from a Japanese record deal to a guest role on US sitcom Friends \u2014 both of which he turned down to eliminate any distractions from his swimming goals.<\/p>\n

“Oh, my life is hysterical. Funny things happen all the time,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I told them that I can’t sing, and they said, ‘We don’t care’.<\/p>\n

“One of the [Friends] writers said, ‘If you would like a role on the show, give us two weeks’ notice and we can write you into the script.'”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Ian Thorpe (far-right) became an extra on Friends after being recognised in the studio audience. (Supplied: Warner Bros\/HBO)<\/p>\n

Although, if he could have his time again, Thorpe said he’d “absolutely” say yes to more of the “crazy” opportunities that came his way.<\/p>\n

“Just [to have] a little bit more balance, like doing those cool things,” he said.<\/p>\n

“You’ve got to remember as well, I was a very focused young person, that was thinking, ‘Anything like that is a distraction from what I am trying to achieve.'”<\/p>\n

Fifteen years since he retired from professional swimming, Thorpe remains a leader among athletes \u2014 supporting their athletic careers but also with preparing for what happens next.<\/p>\n

For Thorpe, after life in the spotlight, fitting in became the next step in his journey.<\/p>\n

“There’s a significant adjustment that athletes need to make post-sporting career,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Mine was trying to get a better understanding of how I could fit in when most of the things that I’d been able to accomplish made me stand out.”<\/p>\n

Stream all episodes of The Assembly on ABC iview<\/a> or watch Sundays on ABC TV at 7:30pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Ian Thorpe burst onto the international swimming stage at just 14, he became a world-champion swimmer and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":706986,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[64,63,4830,11329,34503,46786,514,343866,38174,102638,85,99015,343867],"class_list":["post-706985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-depression","tag-gold-medal","tag-ian-thorpe","tag-lgbtqia","tag-mental-health","tag-olympic-swimmer","tag-queer","tag-sexuality","tag-sports","tag-sydney-olympics","tag-thorpey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=706985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706985\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/706986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=706985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=706985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=706985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}