日批在线视频_内射毛片内射国产夫妻_亚洲三级小视频_在线观看亚洲大片短视频_女性向h片资源在线观看_亚洲最大网

   

Thorpe's retirement a bittersweet ending

(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-11-21 11:03

SYDNEY, Nov 21 - Ian Thorpe's decision to retire at the tender age of 24 was a bittersweet ending to the career of a swimmer who rose from a humble upbringing to become one of the world's most recognisable sportsmen.

Thorpe listens to a question during a media conference announcing his retirement in Sydney November 21, 2006.
Thorpe listens to a question during a media conference announcing his retirement in Sydney November 21, 2006. [Reuters]
While the Australian achieved every imaginable success in the pool, his premature retirement added a sad footnote to an athlete who had seemed destined for sporting immortality.

After winning three gold medals at the Sydney Olympics as a 17-year-old then another two at Athens, Thorpe's legacy is safe.

He had, however, seemed certain to scale greater heights by becoming the first male swimmer to win gold medals at three Olympics, a feat that proved even beyond the talents of Mark Spitz, Matt Biondi and Alexander Popov.

Yet, with less than two years to go before his supposed crowning glory at Beijing, Thorpe pulled the plug on his career, saying swimming was no longer the most important thing in his life.

The announcement sent shockwaves through the swimming world and his millions of fans around the globe but was not a complete surprise to those who have closely followed his career.

SENSITIVE MAN

A sensitive and fundamentally shy man who has spent the past decade soaked in chlorine, Thorpe has never been comfortable with the trappings of fame and fortune since he won his first world championship in 1998 when he was just 15, becoming the youngest male world champion in history.

He spent the next six years demolishing world records and stockpiling an unprecedented collection of gold medals, that included five Olympic and 11 world titles.

Aided by flipper-sized feet and hands like saucers, Thorpe possessed a perfect technique that made swimming look easy. While his rivals were thrashing and splashing their way down the pool, Thorpe would slice through the water in his trademark black swim suit.

Nothing seemed beyond him, yet all the time he was wrestling his own demons, trapped between his sporting ambitions and his hopes for a normal life away from the constant grind of training.

After scooping six gold medals at the 2001 world championships in Japan, Thorpe was facing increasing pressure to try and better Spitz's record haul of seven Olympic gold titles from the 1972 Munich Games.

Although his best performances were in 200 metres and 400m freestyle, Thorpe took the bait and began to experiment with new distances and strokes in the hope of finding a seventh event for Athens.

But everything changed for Thorpe on September 11, 2001 when a brush with death convinced him his relentless pursuit of Olympic immortality was futile and there were more important things in life.

Thorpe was holidaying in New York that day and was on his way to the World Trade Center when the first hijacked plane struck the twin towers.

The harrowing experience made him reassess his priorities and he vowed not to waste another day, abandoning his quest to replicate Spitz and splitting with long-time coach Doug Frost to train under Tracey Menzies, his former high school art teacher, who encouraged him to explore life outside the pool.
12  


Related Stories  
Top Sports News  
Today's Top News  
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
主站蜘蛛池模板: 日韩久久一区 | 色婷婷激情 | 日本不卡在线视频 | 成人午夜免费视频 | 亚洲字幕av一区二区三区四区 | 精品久久不卡 | 亚洲图片另类 | 好吊色网站 | 中文字幕在线视频网站 | 国产伦理av| 91av视频在线观看 | 精品一区二区三区在线观看 | 农村少妇久久久久久久 | 亚洲视频免费观看 | www国产在线 | 神马午夜国产 | 欧美一二区视频 | 欧美另类天堂 | 中文字幕二| 日本久久一级片 | 欧美高清视频一区 | 欧美顶级毛片在线播放 | 黄色免费视频网站 | 四虎成人精品在永久免费 | 神马午夜影院 | 亚洲爱爱视频 | 欧美绿帽合集xxxxx | 亚洲成人av网址 | 国产激情视频在线播放 | 一级片手机在线观看 | 欧美亚洲视频 | 男女精品视频 | 久久超碰在线 | 另类小说久久 | 国产成人精品白浆久久69 | 亚洲四区在线 | 欧日韩一区二区三区 | 免费观看视频在线观看 | 久久视频国产 | 四虎影院入口 | 成人h网站 |