Ian Thorpe unlikely to swim competitively again following infections

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/apr/08/ian-thorpe-unlikely-swim-again-infections

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The Australian five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe is unlikely to swim competitively again after contracting two serious infections, his manager has said.

The 31-year-old is being treated in a Sydney hospital after undergoing several operations in recent months, James Erskine said.

Thorpe had been treated at a hospital near his home in the Swiss town of Ronco sopra Ascona, and later in Sydney, after he injured himself in a fall in January.

"It's serious, but it's not life-threatening," Erskine said. "He has undergone two or three operations over the last two months so … I mean bad luck."

He added: "He's quite sick, but that's the situation. From a competitive point of view, he will not be swimming competitively again I don't think."

Speaking to the Australian Associated Press (AAP), he said: "The shoulder operation was a major operation, he's got as many plates as Barry Sheene [the late champion motorcyclist]."

Thorpe is thought to have contracted an infection similar to MRSA, AAP reported. A spokesman told BBC Sport that both of the infections were being treated with antibiotics and that Thorpe was not in intensive care.

Erskine dismissed reports that Thorpe could lose the use of his left arm as a result of the infections.

He has received a number of visitors in hospital and is said to be in good spirits, despite the apparent seriousness of his illness.

The swimmer won five Olympic golds, three silvers and one bronze, making him one of the most decorated Olympians to compete in the pool and earning him the nickname "the Thorpedo". He also won 11 gold medals at the World Championships, along with one silver and one bronze.

However, a comeback attempt ahead of the London 2012 Games was unsuccessful. Instead, he acted as a pundit for the BBC during the Games, receiving a broadly positive reaction. During his time in the UK, he gave swimming lessons to people at a pool in south London. He spoke at the time of how hard he had to work to adapt to the demands of competitive swimming as a young man.

Thorpe also announced last year he had given up hope of competing at this summer's Commonwealth Games and at the 2016 Olympics in Rio due to injury.

In February, Thorpe's father revealed that the swimmer was battling depression. He sought help in early 2014 after being found disoriented near his parents' Sydney home, having taken a combination of antidepressants and medication for a shoulder injury.

Thorpe was sent for medical assessment to Bankstown hospital near Sydney and entered a rehabilitation programme.

In 2012, he criticised people who concentrated on his sexuality, rather than his sporting prowess or punditry.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, he addressed the rumours – and repeated queries – about his sexuality. "I tick all the boxes. There is no way I can answer this. It really has just got to the stage when I say, 'whatever'. It's not a big deal for me. It doesn't impact on my life what people think.

"What I don't like about it is that people think I'm being dishonest. That's what's so hurtful in all of this. I don't live my life as an open book, but what I do say, I don't retract. That is me," he said.