Inspired by London, Ian Thorpe looks forward to a life without distractions
OLYMPIC swimming champion Ian Thorpe said his time spent watching the Olympics as a commentator for the BBC has reignited his desire to return to the pool, but admitted his training has been interrupted by media duties.
The 30-year-old's bid to swim for Australia at the London Olympics ended in disappointment, but he plans to swim at next year's world championships in Barcelona and at Glasgow's 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Speaking to The Australian after attending the Doha goals forum for sports leaders in the Qatari capital at the end of a three-month book tour, Thorpe said he was "enjoying the training", but was looking forward to returning to a routine without distractions. The distractions have been promotional duties for the recent publication of his candid autobiography This Is Me.
"I've had a few things that have kind of interrupted training but I'm happy preparing, and being able to get back in after the Olympics, feeling motivated by the Olympics as well," he said.
Thorpe, who would not be drawn on whether he would continue for two years beyond Glasgow to one last Olympic Games in Rio, was speaking days after he won this year's Australian Human Rights Medal for his charity work with indigenous children.
The Australian Human Rights Commission said Thorpe had been a "passionate advocate for indigenous people" for more than a decade. Thorpe said he hoped his medal might draw more attention to the indigenous communities. Thorpe's charity, Fountain For Youth, works with indigenous children in the Northern Territory across 20 communities, with a focus on health and education.
In a Q&A session earlier in the day, Thorpe said he once rejected a huge sum of money to be sponsored by a fast food chain. "Athletes have to take a stand," he said. He also touched upon many of the themes in his book including his battle with depression, and said Australian swimmers were underpaid and needed more support after their careers had finished.
"There are people on the national team in my sport, world champions, who actually make below the average Australian wage. We really don't have great systems in place ... we need to at least create some pathways."
An anti-doping centre was opened in Doha this week as it looks to stage more major athletics meetings. Thorpe said he had never been offered performance-enhancing drugs.
"I had no idea how you would even go about it," he said, adding he was so concerned about drug testing that he would not even take vitamin tablets.
Thorpe had some harsh words for highly managed and media-trained young athletes: "What's really irritating watching the television is seeing robotic athletes with the same stock standard answer to every question, to not allow any of their personality to come through."