Thorpe retires from swimming Tuesday November 21, 2006 By ninemsn staff and wires
Australia's greatest-ever swimmer Ian Thorpe has quit, announcing in a press conference his intention to withdraw from professional competition.
In a prepared statement to the packed conference, Thorpe said his battle with sickness and the revelation that there was more to life than swimming had led to his decision.
"As I got fit, my mind got fit, and I started asking questions," he said. "'What's the relevance of swimming to my life, what would my life be like without swimming?'"
"I haven't balanced out my life as well as what I should have," he said.
Although the 24-year-old said he felt intense pressure to continue swimming, that pressure was coming from others, not from himself.
"It would be dishonest to myself, and to everyone else, if I were to continue on that basis," he said. "I've reached all the dizzy heights of this sport — for all of that I'm extremely appreciative."
Thorpe is regarded as one of the greatest swimmers of all time after winning 11 world titles, five Olympic gold medals and setting 13 individual long-course world records.
When asked whether a comeback was possible, the Olympic champion was dismissive.
"I don't see myself competing again, it won't happen. I won't rule anything out, I never rule anything out, but it just won't happen."
He did not want to reveal his future plans.
Of his decision, Thorpe said: "It's emotional because I see my entire swimming career flash before my eyes.
"I've had a great career. It isn't the best time to be walking away from the sport but it's my time."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister John Howard wished Ian Thorpe well for his life after swimming, describing the Olympian as a remarkable athlete and a good bloke.
"His retirement is an enormous loss to Australian swimming but it's tough, he started early, all swimmers do," he told reporters ahead of his departure from Vietnam.
"Millions of Australians will remember his wonderful individual performances."
Nine News sources revealed that earlier in the day, the Olympic legend had begun the day that would be his last as a professional swimmer in the water — surfing at Cronulla. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=164058
Thorpedo's decision helper revealed
Former sports psychologist, Deidre Anderson, has been revealed as the woman who counselled Thorpe as he grappled over a decision to retire. Five time Olympic Gold Medallist, Thorpe, who announced he was quitting swimming said he had worked closely with 'someone incredible' over the past few weeks before determining his future lay outside the sport While Thorpe would not name his helper, News Limited newspapers confirmed it was Anderson.
Anderson confirmed to the newspaper her role in Thorpe's retirement, saying her involvement with the star swimmer was a "one-off".
"I came out of retirement to help him. I used to work in that field but I don't any more," she said.
She would not divulge details of her conversations with Thorpe saying: "This is all about Ian. It's his moment and really what I did pales into insignificance compared to what he had to go through."
Please Explain why Nine is airing the best Coverage so late that Children are in Bed for it, moved it to Primetime please? And Fox Sprots does'nt show it live either, what a waste.
Please Explain why Nine is airing the best Coverage so late that Children are in Bed for it, moved it to Primetime please? And Fox Sprots does'nt show it live either, what a waste.
You'd better ask NINE and Fox 'sprots' those questions.
Swimmer charged Arjun Ramachandran March 31, 2008 - 4:18PM
Olympic swimming hopeful Nick D'Arcy has been charged with assault and grevious bodiliy harm following a bar fight in which a former champion had his nose and jaw broken.
D'Arcy's chances of swimming at Beijing are now under a cloud.
The incident, in Sydney's King Street wharf area about 2.30am yesterday, left former Commonwealth champion Simon Cowley with serious facial injuries.
The Australian Olympic Committee and Swimming Australia have also announced they will investigate the alleged fight.
In a statement, AOC president John Coates said D'Arcy, Cowley and other athletes present during the incident would be interviewed as part of the investigation.
AOC vice-president Peter Montgomery would chair the investigation, and would be assisted by Swimming Australia Glenn Tasker and AOC director of sport Fiona de Jong, he said.
D'Arcy, 20, came to City Central police station today for a formal interview with detectives.
He arrived with another man at the inner-city police station shortly before midday in a blue car and entered via a side garage door.
Late this afternoon he remained inside the police station while a posse of media waited outside.
In a statement, police said: "About 2.30am on Sunday police attended a bar in the King Street Wharf area following reports of an alleged assault.
"As a result of the incident a 27-year-old man from Sylvania suffered injuries including a number of facial fractures.
"He was taken by ambulance to St Vincent's Hospital for treatment where he later discharged himself.
"He has since received further treatment at St George Hospital and remains in a stable condition.
"Police today said they charged a 20-year-old Queensland man with assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.
"He was granted conditional bail and will appear at Downing Centre Local Court on April 21.''
Twenty year old hot head jerk! IMHO he should be stripped of his place at the Beijing Olympics. He does not deserve any kind of reward. Give his position in the team to someone who DOES deserve it. Is it just me? or are the spelling mistakes in news reports getting funnier and worse than they have ever been? Can someone tell the journalists they have 'spell check' on their word processing programs?!
Nick D'Arcy accused of big-noting before nightclub punch April 01, 2008 12:00am
SWIMMER Nick D'Arcy, moments before launching the alleged king-hit that could end his Olympic dream, was allegedly drunkenly big-noting himself at a Sydney nightclub.
Fuelled by up to 12 drinks, D'Arcy allegedly reacted with a single blow when former swim champion Simon Cowley told him to tone down his bragging.
Yesterday, as an ashen-faced D'Arcy faced a six-hour police grilling, a badly injured Cowley told of his shock at being smashed in the face while celebrating the announcement of the Australian Olympic swim team.
"I'm feeling pretty ordinary, as you can see," he said.
"I haven't spoken to the police yet so I don't really want to talk about what happened between us." Asked if he knew D'Arcy, Cowley said: "I've never met him. My main priority right now is to get better."
The Sunday morning blow floored Cowley, leaving the 27-year-old with a shattered nose, eye socket and jaw.
Cowley, who remains in St George Hospital, will undergo major surgery on Thursday to repair his damaged face. He also faces the prospect of losing all his teeth.
Police have charged D'Arcy with assault and grievous bodily harm - which carry a maximum penalty of 10 years.
Dual Olympic gold medallist Kieren Perkins said today swimmer Nick D’Arcy had failed as a role model and should be banned from competing at the Beijing Games.
D’Arcy, the Australian 200m butterfly champion, was charged yesterday with assault and assault occasioning grievous bodily harm following a bar brawl in Sydney in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Perkins said, if the charges were proven, allowing D’Arcy to remain on the Olympic team would compromise the nation’s morals.
“I really can’t see how we could possibly take somebody in that scenario onto an Olympic team,” the 34-year-old told ABC radio.
“It is a group of people that are representing our country at the highest international level.
”Yes, we’re sports people. Yes, we want to win. Yes, we want to see that we’re the best in the world - but at what price?
“Ultimately I can’t see how we can justify compromising our morals or our values just because we want to win.”
Perkins, who won back-to-back 1500 metre gold in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, believed swimming should not be as accepting of poor behaviour “as some professional football codes”.
“In this country our sports people are some of our highest role models,” he said.
“If you decide you want to be a high-profile athlete and you’re not prepared to take that responsibility as a role model on, then as far as I’m concerned you should look for another profession.”
D’Arcy will appear in court on April 21 over the alleged assault on retired swimmer Simon Cowley, just two days before the swim team gathers at a camp in Canberra.
He has already withdrawn from the Australian team competing in the world short-course championships in Manchester, England, from April 9-13.
The AOC and Swimming Australia are jointly investigating the incident.
Olympic legend Dawn Fraser last night led calls for D’Arcy to be kept on the team even if he is convicted.
“They are human beings and some of them have spent six years to get into this team,” Fraser said.
“They do play up a little bit because they’ve been training hard and they’ve been swimming and competing. Unfortunately a little bit’s got out of control.”
D’Arcy has already withdrawn from next month’s world short course titles in Manchester and Australian swim team captain Grant Hackett said it would be a huge penalty if he was also dumped from the Olympics.
“It would be absolutely massive,” he said. “I’m sure Nick’s feeling a lot of regrets about the situation.”
Retired swimmers Duncan Armstrong and Matt Welsh also called for D’Arcy to remain on the team. Armstrong said riotous behaviour after swim meets was nothing new.
“What we got up to would turn this current swimming team’s hair white,” he said.
“I mean we used to have to be bailed out of overseas jails, and it wouldn’t have made the papers back here.
“It was the norm in sport back then to be a bit of a larrikin and to get in trouble and get in a bit of a stoush.”
My opinion of Matt Welsh and Duncan Armstrong has just gone to less than zero. Kieren Perkins is still way up there in my opinion. "Riotous behaviour after swim meets was nothing new" from Duncan Armstrong. Probably not Duncan BUT how often does that 'riotous behavious' lead to Grievious Bodily Harm and someone needing surgery? Testosterone, youth, adrenaline and alcohol are an enormously dangerous combination.
The Decision has been made to take Nick D'Arcy out of the 2008 Olympic Swimming Team. I find the comments under these two reports very disturbing. Some people really are very angry people and very scary IMHO. I find when I am reading comments pages like the two below I am utterly astonished at how badly some people spell. When I find spelling mistakes that detract from the story, I go to the next comment very quickly. Good grief, I left school at age fifteen but have not let that stop me bettering myself as time has gone by.
Two days ago he had a tummy (pot belly) yesterday he didn't and those in the know are saying he IS fit for the Olympics and he does not have a tummy/belly.
I read where it is not unusual for the tummy to distend after/during a long distance swim, which he had just completed when the photo was taken.
Fit swimmer Grant Hackett puts fat behind him Article from: Herald Sun Rebecca Williams May 08, 2008 12:00am
GRANT Hackett showed off a rippling midriff yesterday to prove he is not overweight or out of condition.
The swim star looked fit, tanned and toned as he put his body on display for the cameras.
Days earlier, unflattering images of Hackett getting out of the water after the open water 10km Olympic qualifier in Spain sparked debate around the country about his fitness levels.
Arriving back in Melbourne, Hackett headed to the pool for a light training session -- and to make a point about his belly.
"I can push it out or suck it in, but I'm just standing here normally," he said.
"I don't think I've got anything to prove to anyone on this issue."
Hackett explained that he looked bloated after the Spain swim because of the food and water he consumed in the lead-up to the race.
"We have 3 1/2 litres of fluid before the race, so that can obviously bloat you quite a bit," he said.
"We also carbo-load two to three days before that and that was about 1200g of carbos a day for my weight. That obviously plays with your physique for a very short term."
What a great comeback story this one is....Geoff Huegill
Geoff Huegill qualifies for Australia swimming team headed for Dehli
By Liam FitzGibbon and Tom Wald March 18, 2010
Geoff Huegill declared his intentions to return from Delhi with a gold medal after completing his fairytale return to the Australia swim team at the Commonwealth Games trials.
Huegill (23.46sec) will compete at his first major international meet in six years after taking out the 50m butterfly in style at Sydney Olympic Park, with a time just two hundredths of a second slower then his old world record set in 2001.
The win capped a remarkable journey for the Sydney Olympic medallist, who has lost 45kg after his weight ballooned to 138kg following the 2004 Athens Olympics.
The 31-year-old, now a muscular 93kg, rated the experience on par with competing at the Sydney Games in 2000.
"It's been a dream come true,'' Huegill said.
"To come back from the position I was in, it's something I definitely don't take for granted. It's been well and truly worth all the pain.
''... The emotions I feel today are well and truly on par with the way I felt 10 years ago when I stood behind the blocks at the Sydney Olympics.''
Huegill rated himself at only 85-90 per cent fitness, and sent a clear warning to former South African world record holder Roland Schoeman about his intentions in India.
"23.44 is a pretty good world standard time at the moment, so my sights will definitely be coming away with a medal if not gold,'' he said.
"I'm happy to put that out there now. I love racing Roland and he's definitely going to be the man to beat, so it's going to be good to see how he goes now without his supersuit.''
Emily Seebohm demonstrated her growing stature in Australian swimming by becoming the first female in forty years to win the 100m backstroke-freestyle double.
But she had luck on her side in the freestyle after Yolane Kukla backed up her win in the 50m butterfly by being disqualified after leading the field home.
Kukla got too much of the jump on the field in the two-lap race, her false start leading to the DQ quickly replacing the No.1 and time of 54.50 seconds next to her name on the scoreboard.
She was visibly upset with the result and needed to be comforted by Bronte Barratt in the neighbouring lane.
However she rebounded just 20 minutes later to qualify for Friday night's final of the 100m butterfly, holding her nerve to be the fastest off the blocks in the semi-final.
Kukla's resilience in the 100m butterfly showed that she is not easily floored, an important trait for any multi-event swimmer.
With Kukla rubbed out and Cate Campbell having bombed out in the semi-finals, Seebohm (54.70s) became the unlikely champion.
Seebohm later took out her pet event, the 100m backstroke in 59.21s, for a rare double on the night.
"I was a little bit shocked about the freestyle,'' Seebohm said.
Leisel Jones (2:23.45) showed she was still unstoppable at domestic level by producing a convincing win in the 200m breaststroke while Eamon Sullivan (49.35) warmed up for Friday night's 100m freestyle final by topping the times in the semi-finals.
World champion Brenton Rickard (1:00.19) showed a change of coach hasn't slowed him down, taking out the 100m breaststroke ahead of Christian Sprenger (1:00.91).
Hayden Stoeckel (1:58.04) claimed the men's 200m backstroke title.
Always liked Geoff Huegill and thought he had much potential. More than he had shown the first time around. I think it is wonderful he gave up alcohol and did something about his unhealthy weight. Congratulations to all the medal winners. You go you good thing, Geoff!
Pic is from BACK in the fray . . . Australian Swimming Trials at Homebush Aquatic Centre, men's 50m butterfly. Geoff Huegill. Pic: Gregg Porteous Source: The Daily Telegraph
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