Ian Thorpe: Olympic hero reveals he almost quit after Sydney 2000

Ian Thorpe has revealed he nearly retired from competitive swimming in the immediate aftermath of his breakthrough at the Sydney Olympics, saying the pressure and sudden fame left him feeling he had already achieved his lifelong goal.

Speaking at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on the 25th anniversary of his performances, Thorpe said he seriously considered quitting at 17 after winning three gold and two silver medals at the 2000 Games. "I actually thought, 'OK, that's enough for me. I've done everything I set out to do,'" he told The Sydney Morning Herald, adding that his childhood aims had been to become an Olympian and to be an Olympic champion.

Thorpe's decision to stay in the sport was not driven by a thirst for more medals, he said, but by experiences away from the pool that expanded his world during a post-Olympics break. He described the period after Sydney as both euphoric and suffocating: the roar of the crowd in competition contrasted with intense public scrutiny, stalkers, persistent autograph requests and the strangeness of celebrity.

On Sept. 16, 2000, the teenager produced one of Australian sport's most celebrated nights. Thorpe won the 400-metre freestyle in world-record time in front of a home crowd and, less than an hour later, anchored the 4x100-metre freestyle relay to a historic victory over the United States, overtaking Gary Hall Jr. in the final metres. That relay finish and his teammates' subsequent air-guitar celebration became emblematic moments of the Sydney Games.

Thorpe recalled the relay's drama: a last-minute swimsuit malfunction delayed his start, and he did not settle until Michael Klim established a world-record pace in the opening legs. "The crowd came to a collective sigh when Hall surged ahead," Thorpe said. "But I had a good turn. From 15 metres out, people realised it was possible. Those last 10 metres were agony, but the euphoria in the arena and knowing my teammates were waiting for me got me to the wall."

He said the closing ceremony — with fighter jets flying over the stadium as he carried the Australian flag — crystallised the sensation that his Olympic ambitions had been fulfilled. "That was when I thought, 'maybe I'm done'," he said.

Thorpe's revelation comes with reminders that his rise was not untroubled. Less than a year before Sydney he had broken his leg. He also faced public accusations from a German head coach, who alleged he had used performance-enhancing drugs; Thorpe said the claim struck him deeply as a 17-year-old and fed self-doubt. "It was assumed I would just win … but I'm 17 and there's a human behind all of this," he said.

The fame that followed the Games changed his daily life, he said, producing surreal encounters and persistent demands on his privacy. He recounted meeting members of the international political and sporting worlds during the fortnight in Sydney and afterwards, and personal anecdotes such as a stranger saying she had given birth while watching him race. He said he preferred selfies to autographs because they felt more personal.

Thorpe's decision to remain in the sport allowed him to continue a decorated career that followed Sydney, though he has spoken openly in later years about the mental and physical toll of elite competition. At the anniversary event, he emphasised that periods away from swimming and the broader experiences that came after his early success ultimately motivated him to return to training.

Reflecting on the 25 years since Sydney, Thorpe called that double-gold night the most memorable of his life, and he acknowledged both the high and low points that followed. His account adds to the long-running public conversation about the pressures faced by teenage athletes who achieve global stardom and the support structures they require to manage sudden celebrity and sustained competitive expectations.