January 31, 2014
HE may be Australia's most successful Olympian but close friend and former teammate Geoff Huegill says Ian Thorpe is no different to a host of athletes in finding the transition from superstar to ordinary citizen hard.
"Speaking form my experience I've always said one of the hardest things as an athlete is dealing with life after sport,'' Heugill said in an interview with Triple-M radio.
It was revealed today that Thorpe has entered a private clinic in Sydney to deal with depression issues. He mentioned his battle with the so-called 'black dog' in his autobiography published two years ago.
Huegill, like Thorpe, made a comeback to top-flight swimming after initially retiring. Huegill battled depression and weight issues but successfully regained his fitness and was picked for the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games team winning golds in the medley relay and the individual 100m butterfly.
Thorpe's comeback for the 2012 London Olympics didn't win him a place on the team, although he was in big demand and was applauded for his television commentator for the BBC.
Huegill today said the reality of walking away from the limelight was very difficult to overcome.
"When you step up in front of 10, 20, 30,000 people, it's been your world for a majority of your life and the developing phases of your life too.
"You've got to remember Ian won his first international medal at 16 - he was a world champion. And at 17 he absolutely blitzed the field here in Sydney (2000 Olympics).
"So to grow up in that sort of world at such a young age has been the influence. To step away from that world is something a lot of people really struggle with.''
But Huegill said he was still shocked to hear of Thorpe's current struggles.
"I'm just as shocked as everyone else. You never want to see a mate go through that sort of stuff,'' Huegill told Triple-M.
"It's been hard for him too because he's been living overseas for the last couple of years. So like everyone we haven't really been in touch with what's been going on.
"The most important thing is now that he's actually reached out. That's one of the hardest steps when you got through a journey like this in your life and in your career.''
Thorpe has remained intensely private to try to keep his world as normal as possible. But Huegill said his closest friends were aware of his battles.
"We still hang around together and chat. But I haven't spoken to him for a while because I haven't been in swimming and he's been living overseas,'' Huegill said.
"I knew about it before he released his book, I caught up with him for his 30th birthday and we have had some chats about it.
"As I said the hardest thing for an athlete is finding something that you have the same passion for, for your life after sport. That's the big thing.
"For so long you're so used to living off the smell of an oily rag and so used to being around a good support network - your teammates your coaches.
"So to have that world not there any more is a major adjustment for a lot of people.''

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/geoff-huegill-relates-to-his-mate-ian-thorpe/story-e6frg7mf-1226815000467