{"id":431510,"date":"2022-09-06T04:06:55","date_gmt":"2022-09-06T11:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=431510"},"modified":"2022-09-06T17:12:28","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T00:12:28","slug":"when-ian-thorpe-launched-on-the-global-scene-claimed-world-title-in-400-freestyle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/when-ian-thorpe-launched-on-the-global-scene-claimed-world-title-in-400-freestyle\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Races: The Breakthrough of Ian Thorpe as a World Champion and Blooming Superstar (Video)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Great Races: The Breakthrough of Ian Thorpe as a World Champion and Blooming Superstar (Video)<\/strong><\/p>\n

As part of our Great Races Series, Swimming World takes a look back at the 1998 World Championships in Perth, Australia. It was where Ian Thorpe emerged as a world champion and took his first global step toward stardom.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Some looks are expected, almost ingrained in the mind. So, one of the things that jumped out about Ian Thorpe<\/strong> ahead of the final of the 400-meter freestyle at the 1998 World Championships in Perth was what he is wearing. Instead of being clad in the full-length bodysuit that became his trademark, Thorpe stood behind the blocks in a swim brief.<\/p>\n

If his attire was unfamiliar, the outcome was not. En route to becoming the youngest male world champion in history, at a mere 15 years and three months, Thorpe put together a spectacular rally and ran down fellow Australian Grant Hackett<\/strong>, a man who would become a longtime rival. For Thorpe, the title was the official liftoff to a Hall of Fame<\/a> career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t too sure if I would be able to do it,\u201d Thorpe said of his breakthrough triumph. \u201cI can\u2019t get over this. I thought I might have had a chance, but to win a world championship is unbelievable. It\u2019s only second to the Olympics. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll believe this for a while.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thorpe got his first taste of major international competition during the summer of 1997, when he raced as a 14-year-old at the Pan Pacific Championships. While Thorpe emerged from the 400 freestyle with a silver medal, it wasn\u2019t his podium finish that was most glaring. Rather, the heaviest chatter revolved around the vast potential that Thorpe possessed, and what he might become.<\/p>\n