Portal:Olympics/Selected athlete/2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ian James Thorpe OAM is a former Australian freestyle swimmer. He has won five Olympic gold medals, the most won by any Australian, and in 2001 he became the first person to win six gold medals in one World Championship. In total, Thorpe has won eleven World Championship golds, the second-highest number of any swimmerThorpe was the first person to have been named World Swimmer of the Year four times by Swimming World Magazine,and was the Australian swimmer of the year from 1999 to 2003. His athletic achievements made him one of Australia's most popular athletes, with his philanthropy and clean image earning him further recognition as the Young Australian of the Year in 2000.At the age of 14, he became the youngest male ever to represent Australia,and his victory in the 400 metre freestyle at the 1998 Perth World Championships made him the youngest ever individual male World Champion.After that victory, Thorpe dominated the 400 m freestyle, winning the event at every Olympic, World, Commonwealth and Pan Pacific Swimming Championships until his break after the 2004 Olympics.
