{"id":446771,"date":"2020-09-16T19:27:28","date_gmt":"2020-09-17T02:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=446771"},"modified":"2024-10-28T11:12:39","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T18:12:39","slug":"the-making-of-ian-thorpe-from-a-25m-indoor-pool-in-sydneys-west-to-the-top-of-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/the-making-of-ian-thorpe-from-a-25m-indoor-pool-in-sydneys-west-to-the-top-of-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"The Making Of Ian Thorpe: From A 25m Indoor Pool in Sydney’s West To The Top Of The World"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Making Of Ian Thorpe: From A 25m Indoor Pool in Sydney’s West To The Top Of The World<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ian Thorpe<\/strong> swam his way into the Olympic<\/a> history books this week 20 years ago at the Sydney 2000 Games \u2013 a career that started in the humble surrounds of a 25 metre indoor pool in the city\u2019s working class west.<\/p>\n

Here, Ian\u2019s long time coach Doug Frost<\/strong> reflects on the career of a boy who followed his sister Christina into the Padstow Indoor Pool and swam his way to the top of the world.<\/p>\n

\"ian

SCHOOL POOL: Ian, aged 9 at the NSW PSSA carnival at Warringah Aquatic Centre. Photo Courtesy: Thorpe Family Collection.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Padstow Days: <\/strong>\u201cWhen Ian came to me he was eight-years-old\u2026.into a 25m indoor pool at Padstow\u2026.I had some good people working with me\u2026coaches like Chris Myers<\/strong> and Jenny Ashpole<\/strong>\u2026.and from that little pool there was that much talent emerge.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had developed a really good program\u2026.it was amazing who came out of that pool\u2026with the likes of Brooke Townsend, Christina Thorpe<\/strong> and Phil Bryant<\/strong>\u2026and then Thorpie came along\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn those early years\u2026It was all about technique. That was the thing\u2026.and there was always recovery\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got the utmost respect for the boy….the way he trained\u2026.Ian would be pushing himself beyond the limits\u2026beyond my expectations of him\u2026he even said to me on a couple of occasions\u2026\u201dI\u2019m going to do this..\u201d which was far more challenging to what I had asked of him\u2026.his response was way above my expectations\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the height of his powers, we did some 50m sets on Saturday mornings\u2026when Hacky (Grant Hackett) used to come down from the Gold Coast; they trained together on a Saturday morning with a 50s set. It was when we moved the program to a 50m outdoor facility in Sutherland in Sydney\u2019s south..<\/p>\n

\u201cGrant would come down for his promotional work and pop in and train with Ian\u2026well you should have seen them.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_4575

BROTHERS IN ARMS: Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett after the ’97 Pan Pacs 400m 1-2 in Fukuoka. Photo Courtesy: Darrin Braybrook (Sport The Library).<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt was like there was blood in the water\u2026.the two big boys going head-to-head\u2026.going head to toe\u2026.it was really exciting\u2026..holding 24 seconds for 30 x 50s\u2026.depending on the time of year\u2026and then along the way others developed as well\u2026Kirsten Thompson<\/strong> (Sydney Olympic silver medallist in the 4x200m freestyle) is a prime example and under that situation\u2026she was a 2:06 \u2013 2:07 girl who we got down to 2 minutes.<\/p>\n

“Craig Stevens<\/strong> was a backstroker and you could see what he did over 400, 800 and 1500m.”<\/p>\n

The \u201997 Pan Pacs in Fukuoka\u2026.<\/strong>\u201cThat was pretty amazing\u2026.when he was coming through when he made that first team at 14.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe qualified for the Pan Pacs (in Fukuoka)\u2026.and I said to him (at the Trials in Adelaide) if his time of around 3:50 is good enough, he may be fast enough to make the team<\/p>\n

\u201cKieren Perkins<\/strong> and Daniel Kowalski<\/strong> were not available and Ian was third behind Hackett and Malcolm Allen <\/strong>in the 400m. His time was ranked higher than some of the other second placed rankings.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that also got me selected as a coach\u2026at the Pan Pacs\u2026.Ian qualified for the final in Japan and Mal got sick and didn\u2019t swim\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cHacky beat Ian and they went 1-2\u2026,they beat everyone\u2026and that was fantastic and that was the last time Hacky beat Ian\u2026as a 14- year-old.\u00a0<\/em>The next year was the Worlds in Perth in \u201998 where he became the youngest world champion in history in the 400m freestyle.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Ian

WORLD CHAMPION AT 15: \u201cThat 400 in Perth, in my opinion was the best swim I ever witnessed,” Doug Frost. Photo Courtesy: Darrin Braybrook (Sport The Library).<\/p><\/div>\n

Ian\u2019s best swim: <\/strong>\u201cThat 400 in Perth<\/a>, in my opinion was the best swim I ever witnessed when Ian won that the World Championships as a 15-year-old.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the sign that he was capable of doing anything\u2026.that was the swim for me\u2026.a lot of people reflect on that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Olympic gold medals are the pinnacle of course, the utmost.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut his career really started at 15 when he won that World title. I thought then he must be a good chance in two years time\u201d<\/p>\n

The build up to Sydney 2000: \u201c<\/strong>We had the \u201999 Pan Pacs in Sydney….and we had a great year\u2026 the Pan Pacs all fell into place when he re-wrote the world record books in the 200 and 400..he was on a roll that week and that\u2019s when Sydney really knew they had a kid who they could follow all the way to the Games\u2026Ian and swimming were all over the front pages of the newspapers.<\/p>\n

\"Doug

WINNING COMBO: Coach Doug Frost and Ian Thorpe. Photo Courtesy: Sport The Library.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cSydney was a very exciting time\u2026and being at our home pool was special. We started training at Homebush tnot long after it was completed\u2026so it was pretty familiar for us\u2026.because of my ranking we were able to get a couple of lanes there through NSWIS\u2026we trained there three mornings a week\u2026from \u201997\u2026it was like our home paddock\u2026I knew all the staff. I had the run of the place a bit\u2026and I had one of the best swimmers in the world training there\u2026.they looked after me\u2026.with Michael Scott<\/strong> who was involved with NSWIS\u2026<\/p>\n

The Winner is?<\/strong> \u201cSydney in 2000 was unbelievable\u2026That experience, I believe will never be repeated; And not just the swimming but everything\u2026the whole thing\u2026.even if we have another Olympics. I very much doubt we are going to have somebody quite as outstanding as Ian Thorpe\u2026.we might\u2026but I don\u2019t think so\u2026.the big thing is the timing of it\u2026because of the build up\u2026because it was Sydney\u2026I don\u2019t think it would ever happen, even if it was in Melbourne. As great a sporting city that it is\u2026.(or Brisbane in 2032)\u2026.Sydney was it\u2026.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Memories of the opening night:<\/strong> \u201cFrom memory we had seating on the deck and we stood pool side; I was excited, as excited as anybody.<\/p>\n

\"SYDOLY

OLYMPIC CHAMPION: At 17 Ian Thorpe is crowned Olympic champion. Photo Courtesy:<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWhen Ian won (the 400m), I remember the crowd responding and I looked round and I saw the Prime Minister John Howard<\/strong>; I saw the Governor General; I saw Paul Keating<\/strong>; I saw four or five other Olympic dignitaries standing there and I turned around and put my thumb up to them and they all yelled out \u201cHooray\u2026hooray\u2026\u201d and then Johnny Howard yelled out \u201cWell done Doug\u2026\u201dand I thought to myself \u2018How does he know my name?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThe boy from the bush. The boy from Orange\u2026. how does he know me\u2026how does he know my name\u2026I was pretty proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s Gold:<\/strong> \u201cWe had rehearsed the 400m quite a few times from when he won that World Championship in \u201898 when he was just 15\u2026the way he trained (particularly) with all the negative splitting\u2026.and descend work.<\/p>\n

“We might do 24x100s but they would always descend one-to-four or one-to-six\u2026one-to-three some times\u2026he would always be down on pace on the last one\u2026..<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought because of the lead up and the build up, unless the pressure gets to him, there was no way anybody was going to beat Ian in the 400 freestyle and you know he wanted that more than anybody and he was a confident young man and (of course) very talented, super talented.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/strong>We didn\u2019t talk it up and tried hard to protect him as best we could\u2026.But that particular period leading into the Olympics\u2026that 12 months the media attention was amazing..and very distracting\u2026extraordinary to be able to manage all that at that age I\u2019ve got the utmost respect for him\u2026.and very proud of his results\u2026.it was very, very special\u2026..<\/p>\n

\u201cWe talked about the 400m every year\u2026and he had a big input into it\u2026and our goals. And I can tell you Ian\u2019s goal times were faster than what he actually swam\u2026I can tell you\u2026..he got that 400 down to 3:40 but his goal time was 3:38\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

The final lap: <\/strong>\u201cPersonally from my point of view\u2026the Thorpe family..his parents Ken and Margaret\u2026their support\u2026was amazing\u2026his attitude was absolutely second to none\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cIan trained like there was no tomorrow\u2026.his determination to improve\u2026.and to be the best was second to none\u2026.and the opportunity I had was something that was out of this world\u2026and something that I believe will never be repeated\u2026.and I don\u2019t think I could ever have replicated having a swimmer like Ian Thorpe in the program\u2026 I was blessed to have a good athlete\u2026he was fortunate to come into a program that would give him good instruction in development \u2026.and technique\u2026he got the opportunity to learn good skills with technique\u2026because that\u2019s what our development was\u2026”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIn the Bankstown area they have produced some great champions\u2026.Steve Waugh<\/strong> and Mark Waugh<\/strong> in cricket\u2026.a heap of rugby league footballers\u2026.it was working class western suburbs\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it all started in a 25m five-lane indoor pool at Padstow\u2026.and it produced one of the best swimmers the world has ever seen\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ianthorpe\"

THOSE FEET: \u00a0Ian Thorpe Photo Courtesy: SwimSketch<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Making Of Ian Thorpe: From A 25m Indoor Pool in Sydney’s West To The Top Of The World Ian Thorpe swam his way into the Olympic history books this<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7938,"featured_media":446775,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,122075],"tags":[7755,42030,125472,4062,4026,3953,2468,125471,125476,15398,52,125474,125475,30745,125477,125473],"class_list":["post-446771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-oceania","tag-brooke-townsend","tag-chris-myers","tag-christina-thorpe","tag-craig-stevens","tag-daniel-kowalski","tag-doug-frost","tag-grant-hackett","tag-isn-thorpe","tag-jenny-ashpole","tag-john-howard","tag-kieren-perkins","tag-kirsten-thompson","tag-malcolm-allen","tag-michael-scott","tag-paul-keating","tag-phil-bryant"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nThe 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