Mysterious Illness May Force Thorpe to Withdraw from Commonwealth Games

By Phillip Whitten

March 1. IMAGINE Australia competing at the Commonwealth Games without Ian Thorpe or Grant Hackett.

That’s the prospect facing Aussie swim fans. Hackett – the greatest distance swimmer in history – had already announced he would not be able to compete when he underwent shoulder surgery late last year. Now Thorpe, Australia’s beloved “Thorpedo” has become iffy, due to a mysterious ailment that has baffled physicians and kept him from training hard. To make matters worse, the Games, scheduled to begin 15 days from today, are being held in Melbourne, before a home crowd.

Thorpe has been tested for glandular fever, chronic fatigue syndrome and whooping cough, his manager David Flaskas said today. “He feels like a pin-cushion at the moment, with all the continual blood-testing that is going on."

Flaskas said Thorpe was “desperate” to race in Melbourne, but it was not clear whether the double WR-holder would be healthy enough to compete.
Flaskas said the undiagnosed infection had left the Thorpedo with a "shocking cough" and confirmed that media reports had not exaggerated the extent of Thorpe’s illness. “Ian is nowhere near 100 percent," he said.

Ironically, Flaskas said, two medications that could provide Thorpe with some measure of relief are on the list of banned substances. Reportedly, Thorpe is in daily contact with his coach, Tracey Menzies and Aussie National Team Coach Alan Thompson to assess the situation. Meanwhile, Flaskas has canceled all of Thorpe’s planned appearances.

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