Top 10 Surprising Facts about Ian Thorpe   

Ian Thorpe. Photo By Doha Stadium – Wikimedia

Top 10 Surprising Facts about Ian Thorpe   

Ian Thorpe is an Australian athlete, who was the most successful swimmer in that country’s history. He won five Olympic gold medals and 11 world championship titles between 1998 and 2004. 

He represented Australia when he was 17 years during the Sydney Olympics in 2000. He won three gold medals with world record results and also earned two silvers. He proudly carried the Australian flag during the closing ceremonies. 

Ian is the chair of the Australian Institute of Sport’s, ‘Athlete Wellbeing Advisory Committee and is Australia’s most successful Olympian of all time. 

Here are the top 10 surprising facts about Ian Thorpe.   

1. Ian Started Swimming to Avoid Boredom 

Ian was born on 13th October 1982 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He grew up in the suburb of Milperra and hailed from a sporting family. His father, Ken, was a talented cricket batsman and his mother Margaret played netball. Ian did not inherit his parents’ ball skills. 

As a child, Ian accompanied his older sister Christina to the swimming pool. She had been advised to take up swimming to strengthen a broken wrist. She enjoyed the sport and soon started training for competitions.  

To beat the boredom of sitting and watching his sister from the poolside, five-year-old Ian decided to take up swimming and so he followed Christina into the pool. Little did he know he would later become one of the greatest swimmers the world has ever known. 

2. He Was Allergic to Chlorine 

A smiling Ian Thorpe. Photo By Xiaoming – Wikimedia Commons

Soon after he began swimming, he discovered he was allergic to chlorine. The allergy forced Ian to swim with his head out of the water until he gradually overcame the ailment. 

By the age of 11, Ian had outgrown the allergy. At 14, Ian made history by becoming the youngest male to ever make the Australian Men’s swim team. At 17, Ian was selected for the Australian Men’s Olympic swim team. 

Ian always wore a full-body racing suit while competing. The suit covered him from neck to ankles and wrists.

3. Ian Has an Interest in Fashion 

Ian is fashion savvy. He is known for his interests in fashion and serves as an ambassador for Giorgio Armani. He makes frequent visits to New York City because of the city’s status as a global fashion capital.  

This athlete describes NYC as his second home. He often goes there for engagements with Armani. At 18 years, he was at the gala opening of the Giorgio Armani exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum.  

Thorpe’s interests in fashion and culture led him to create his line of designer jewelry and underwear.   

4. He Missed the World Center 9/11 Bombing by Sheer Luck  

On the morning of 11th September 2001, Ian was on his way to the observation deck at the World Trade Center when he realized he had forgotten his camera.  

He went back to his hotel room to get the camera and when he turned on the television, he saw the North Tower ablaze. That is what saved him from the terrorist attack. 

5. Ian is a Philanthropist and an Activist 

Ian Thorpe. Photo By Eva Rinaldi – Wikimedia Commons

In the year 2000, Ian started ‘The Ian Thorpe’s Fountain for Youth’. The organization raises funds for research into childhood illnesses and sponsors a school in Beijing for orphaned children with disabilities. 

His foundation also partners with The Fred Hollows Foundation to improve health standards and living conditions in Australian aboriginal communities. 

In 2017, Ian campaigned for a ‘yes’ vote to the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey which was a national survey designed to gauge support for legalizing same-sex marriage in Australia.  

The survey was held via the postal service. Unlike voting in elections and referendums, which is compulsory in Australia, responding to the survey was voluntary. 

6. He Suffers From Depression 

In his 2012 autobiography This is Me, Ian wrote he had considered suicide and had drunk ‘huge quantities of alcohol to deal with ‘crippling depression.  

In 2014, Ian was admitted to a rehabilitation clinic after neighbours found him dazed near his parents’ home. They called the police who took him to the hospital before he was admitted for rehabilitation at the clinic. 

7.  He Was Sponsored By Adidas  

Thorpedo brand energy bar. Photo by S.C. Asher – Wikimedia Commons

Marketing surveys consistently ranked Ian as the most sought-after Australian athlete for sponsorship deals. It is quite unexpected because footballers, who compete every week in much larger stadia, are not top on that list.   

Adidas sponsored all his swimsuits. He was also sponsored by Australian corporate giants such as Qantas, Telstra, and the Seven Network. He was the face of ‘Thorpedo’, an energy drink in Japan and there is also a Thorpedo energy bar. 

8. Ian is Gay 

In July 2014, in a televised interview with British talk show host Michael Parkinson, Ian came out as gay, after years of denying his homosexuality publicly. 

He said, “I am telling the world that I am gay and I hope this makes it easier for others now, and even if you’ve held it in for years, it feels easier to get it out.” 

Ian dated model Ryan Channing from 2016 to 2019. 

9. He Was a Doping Suspect But It Was Never Proven 

In 2007, the French sports newspaper L’Équipe reported that Ian “showed abnormal levels of two banned substances in a doping test”. Ian denied the allegations. 

The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) confirmed that they had investigated Ian in the past, for abnormal levels of testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH), but had dismissed the result. 

FINA (the international organization that administers water sports) dropped its investigation and closed the case. Ian has never been found to have used banned substances, and he condemns drug use.  

10. There is a Fitness Center Named Ian Thorpe 

Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre in Ultimo, Sydney. Photo By Ank Kumar – Wikimedia Commons

Apart from his swimming achievements, Ian has received numerous honors and awards. He was Young Australian of the Year and he also received The Australian Sports Medal as “Commonwealth Games Pan Pacific World Record Holder” in 2000. 

Ian was awarded the Human Rights Medal for his charity work and was also made an advanced Member of the Order of Australia (AM). He also has honorary doctorates from  Macquarie University and the University of Western Sydney.  

In 2007, the Ian Thorpe Aquatic and Fitness Centre in Ultimo, Sydney was named in his honor. He also received accolades like ABC Sports Star of the Year, and World Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World.