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Ian Thorpe in rehab for depression and alcohol issues, say reports
Ian Thorpe's manager denies he is in rehab
(about 9 hours later)
Champion Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe has reportedly checked into rehab for depression and issues with alcohol.
Ian Thorpe's management company has denied reports the swimmer is in rehab for depression and alcohol abuse.
The Olympian was admitted to a Sydney hospital on Wednesday night after a fall at his home and made the decision to seek treatment for mental health issues, News Limited is reporting.
News Limited had reported that the Olympian was admitted to a Sydney hospital on Wednesday night after a fall at his home and made the decision to seek treatment for mental health issues.
His agent has been contacted for comment but is yet to respond.
But a spokesman for Sports and Entertainment Ltd released a short statement on Friday afternoon that said: “The article that appeared in the Daily Telegraph today is incorrect. Ian is not in rehab. Ian was in hospital for an operation on his shoulder and is pleased to let his friends and fans know that he is now out of hospital and on the mend.”
Thorpe, a five-time Olympic gold medallist, has spent a lot of his time living outside Australia since retiring from swimming. He based himself in Los Angeles for a while before moving to Switzerland in 2012 and was a commentator for the BBC in the 2012 Olympics.
Thorpe, a five-time Olympic gold medallist, has spent a lot of his time living outside Australia since retiring from swimming. He based himself in Los Angeles for a while before moving to Switzerland in 2012 and was a commentator for the BBC in the 2012 Olympics.
Thorpe returned to Australia for Christmas and attended friend Tahyna Tozzi’s wedding while home in his summer break.
Thorpe returned to Australia for Christmas and attended friend Tahyna Tozzi’s wedding while home in his summer break.
2GB radio host Alan Jones, a close friend of Thorpe’s, told the Daily Telegraph he had been battling problems lately, but did not want to go into detail.
“Yes it's serious but there's not a lot I can or want to add,” said Jones. “Ian is a beautiful person but he has difficulty recognising his problems."
Clare Balding, the British sports presenter whose double act with Ian Thorpe on the BBC was one of the hits of the London 2010 Olympics, sent her love and support to him.
“As well as being a sporting icon, Ian is such a warm, thoughtful and sensitive man,” she said. “I very much hope we’ll see him back to his best very soon.”
A usually private man, Thorpe revealed his battle with depression in his autobiography, released in 2012. He said there were times he could not leave the house but over time he had learnt to identify triggers to minimise the length of his depressive bouts.
“I realise now, when I start to withdraw from doing things with my friends, that I need to force myself. My doctors say [Thorpe emits a dry laugh]: 'Fake it till you make it.' So even if I don't feel like going out with my friends, I know I need to. It's tough but, once you've forced yourself, it doesn't seem so bad and you can minimise the low,” he said in an interview with the Guardian later that year.
2012 was also the year of Thorpe’s failed Olympic bid in which he missed out on qualifying for the London Olympics in all of his events. He said he had returned to swimming despite the “cancer of attention” because he had rediscovered his love of the sport, though when he took to the starting blocks in the qualifying races he felt anything but confident.
"I've never felt more alone than in that moment," Thorpe said.
"The water is normally my space – because I get quite territorial. But I realised that, despite all my training, I was about to put myself back out there as a competitor. I was surrounded by people but I still had this intense loneliness. Sport can sometimes isolate you and I've come to realise through all the travelling and all the hotel rooms that there is this recurring Lost In Translation moment."
Thorpe rose to prominence when he was just 14 years old, when he became the youngest male individual world champion after winning the 400m freestyle at the world championships.
He set 13 individual world records and was in teams that set five relay world records over the course of his career, and retired in 2006.
He set 13 individual world records and was in teams that set five relay world records over the course of his career, and retired in 2006.
After his bid for the London Olympics, Thorpe suffered a shoulder injury which meant he could not attempt qualification, as he had announced, for the 2013 world championships or 2014 Commonwealth Games.
"I'm disappointed that I really haven't been able to race in a way that is reflective of the amount of work that I have done and how I have trained," he said after the 2012 Olympics. "But I don't regret giving this a go."
