http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_spor...ing/5402568.stm

Fair play to him if he feels it's the right decision. I think so many people forget how much youngsters give up a normal life to become sports stars and i do think that some of them end up finding it just too much, especially if they end up injured for long periods of time and realise that there's something else out there.....

Having said that, Thorpe isn't short of a bob or two and already has other business opportunities.....*sigh* i'd love to be able to retire about now :(

Thanks jo, i wondered what had happened to the Thorpedo. Noticed he was nto around the last time I watched swimming. Well it is a shame that he has to retire at 24, but I dont; blame him either. he's had fatigue and injury recently, and he has bene swimming for Aus for 10 years now. I think people forget how young these people start sport and it must feel to him like he's given it his lifetime already. He's certainly had a glittering career, and whilst maybe he had more to come he can't really complain as he was breaking world records at 15 which many sportspersons are nto doing, so he's had a lot of success over a period that is perhaps longer than that of many other sportspersons. Sounds like he's wanting to get a life outside of swimming doesn't it? I mean it's proababyl all he's known and who can blame him. I'm dissappointed but good luck to him I say! :ok: Must say what a physique, and my god hsi feet were huge liek flippers werent; they? remarkable swimmer. :bow:

Well from what my Aunt in Oz was saying, apparently it's not a big surprise to anyone over there. He's barely been able to complete recently and i think he's just lost the motivation.

I think it probably happens to a few people in all sports - they spend their whole life training to be the best or achieve something, losing a lot of their childhood, and then at some point they realise what it is they've given up for their sport.....and just lose the motivation. I don't really know of examples in tennis, although i know Borg retired early, but Jan Ullrich in cycling seems to have had the same thing happen to him (slightly different.....)

Ullrich was kinda the prodigal son of cycling and won the Tour when he was relatively young, having spent his whole life training for that moment. He's never won it since......now you could blame Lance Armstrong, but I think it's more likely that Ullrich got some injuries and took some time out, and suddenly lost a lot of his drive to be the best (evidenced that he always started his season looking like he ate all the pies) and started to enjoy life (evidenced by the fact that he got caught taking ecstasy in a nightclub.... :yikes: )

I think because you have to train so hard to be the best at any sport, that if at any time you lose that motivation things are gonna become much harder (Marat Safin?)

And i'm rambling, the point is, perhaps this early retirement thing is a symptom of, as Thorpe himself put it, not having a balanced life......

Yes it does sound that way doesn't it? he did make some comments in the article about his life needing leveling out or something. You really do make scarifices though in sport. soem of us think studying at school, college and then Uni si a huge sacrifice. well it is in a way but you can take time off. You can eat all the wrong foods, drink liek a fish, take drugs etc and really burn the candle at both ends AND still get a degree (like me roflmao ) but in sport you must eb so discplined abotu everything. Imagien beign youg and beign told no fatty foods, no late nights, no drinking, smoking, drugs etc and NO parties! I mean I knwo these things are bad and we shoudl tno do them BUT lots of people do and manage to lead a reasobale life also, have a career etc. And also by experimenting that feelign of deprivation is gone, whereas some sportspersons who've had strict regimes to follow since beign a kid must fee deprived.

And if his motivation is gone, then what is the point? Safin is a great example to use as really how many more slams and titles SHOULD he have won? Well a few IMO and he hasnt; cos he's never maintained the motivation to achieve hsi full potential. Shure, he's had unjury but he's also had opportunites and blown them. Shame, especially as we know that when on sign he CAN challenge Federer unliek anyone else out there. We sit criticising these people though, but I feel sorry for them as it must eb so hard to stay focused at such a young age. Glad I had nto aptitiude for sports as if I'd tried to persue a career there is no way i'd have stayed motivated. From ebign 18-26 (and beyond) I just wanted to try new things, have fun and not have to work too hard every single day. Many people develop the right mentality and motivations as they age, but it's too late then in sport as it is a young person's thing. Very tough.

No, it hasn't really come as much of a surprise over here in Australia, although many are disappointed at him retiring at only 24. What I really want to know is, is whether he's homosexual or not.

He went out with Hingis before, who I'm 100% certain, isn't a gay man ;)

He never went out with Martina.

Shocking.

Why do you want to know that SF :ban:

Don't start with this again SF.
No place for this on here, action will be taken if you continue.

Why? the man wins all those titles and all you ar einterested in is his sexuality? Are you homophobic or what?

Was I being homophobic? NO! I just said I would like to know.

*shakes head*

he did, a few dates in January 2001, he also went to watch her at the 2001 AO ;)

Why? Even if you are not homophobic, I find it a bit odd that you are constantly fixated by people's sexuality. Seems to me you have some issues with that.

Well , even if she has issues with that she shouldnt be constantly referring to them on here . I believe there are helplines for that sort of thing . :rolleyes:

Yep :)

Speaking of helplines, you remind me of when I used to work on one. Whilst there were soem very genuine cases that I felt sorry for and hope I helped come to terms with things, just as on MBs there were plenty of WUMs and people who wasted your time. One man used to get very vulgar and I used to hang up and tell him we were nto an 0898 service! roflmao

Do I !! :yikes:

roflmao

Its a pity he retired.
I always supported him at the olympics.
I guess Phelps is gonna have a great time in Beijing with no one to steal the spotlight from him.