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Ian Thorpe is a famous Australian swimmer who has won nine Olympic medals, including five gold, three silver, and one bronze. Thorpe aka Thorpedo retired from competitive swimming in 2006 but made a brief comeback in 2012 to try to qualify for the Olympics.
But it was an unsuccessful attempt as he failed to qualify for the Olympics. In 2020, Brett Hawke interacted with Thorpe about his rivalry with Michael Phelps, retirement, and many more topics for his(Brett Hawke) podcast "Inside with Brett Hawke".
When Ian Thorpe spoke about Michael Phelps
In the same interview, while discussing his toughest competitor, Ian also mentioned Michael Phelps, saying:
"I may regret saying this but I kind of wish Michael Phelps was kind of little bit older. For me, it would've challenged me".
Thorpe said he wished Michael Phelps was a little bit older, but seconds later, felt that he may regret making this admission. The Australian swimmer expressed admiration for Phelps and his Medley performances. But it wasn't until Michael repeated his success that Thorpe realized the American swimmer was extraordinary. Thorpe added:
"When he started doing it in freestyle as well that was when I really went, he is extraordinary".
Ian believed that his and Phelps' careers should have intersected more than the few times they met. He also remarked that he should be careful what he wishes for.
Before talking about Phelps, Brett asked Ian Thorpe about his toughest competitor, and Ian immediately mentioned Pieter van den Hoogenband because he and Pieter competed more times than he did against Phelps.
The history between Ian and Michael Phelps
The rivalry between Ian Thorpe and Michael Phelps was short-lived due to Thorpe's early retirement. During the 2003 World Championships, Michael Phelps defeated Ian Thorpe in the 200 meter individual medley and won gold with a world record time of 1:56.04, finishing three seconds ahead of Ian.
Thorpe finished second, but his time of 1:59.66 set a new national record. Following the 2003 World Championships, Ian announced that he would give Michael Phelps $1 million if Phelps matched Mark Spitz's record of winning the most gold medals in a single Olympics. Phelps was able to surpass Mark Spitz later in his career by winning eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics.
Thorpe won gold in the 200 meter freestyle event at the 2004 Olympics, defeating Pieter van den Hoogenband and Michael Phelps. Michael finished third in the competition. But he set his first World Championships world record in the 200 meter freestyle event, breaking Thorpedo's six-year-old world record at the 2007 World Championships in Australia.
Phelps also set a new World Championships record by winning the most medals during the 2007 World Championships.
In another instance, Thorpe had said that it was impossible for any swimmer above the age of 30 to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics. But Michael was victorious in the 200 meter butterfly and 200 meter medley event at the age of 31 during the 2016 Olympics.
Thorpe is regarded as the greatest middle distance swimmer of all time by swimmers and swimming fans worldwide, with Michael Phelps coach Bob Bowman calling Ian the greatest middle distance swimmer of all time.
