Ian Thorpe gives up on Olympic dreams after shoulder injury
IAN Thorpe's dream of swimming at another Olympics is over. A shoulder injury has forced the 30-year-old to abandon any hopes of competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics. "I don't want to be the old man who can't do things - to push out something that may not be realistic any more," Thorpe told The Sunday Telegraph. "Although I am going to continue swimming, realistically I don't think I will be able to get back to a position where I am at the top of the sport." The five-time Olympic champion will still train with coach Gennadi Touretski purely for the love of swimming. Thorpe knew his swimming career was in jeopardy several months ago, but still held out hope until recent days, even telling the media early last week that he wouldn't rule out Rio. In his bid to make the Glasgow Commonwealth Games next year, and the Olympics, Thorpe had increased his kilometres in the pool but was struggling to complete his training sessions. "I kept on not being able to get through them, and then I decided I am just going to push through it, basically I have moved the positioning of my scapula that's caused a tremendous amount of tension on the front of my shoulder," Thorpe said. "When I did it, I was advised, you have two options, one is surgery and the second is you have to rest. I have had surgery once before. It was just after I stopped swimming the first time, it took me around two years to recover and I have decided I am not having surgery again." Thorpe's career resurrection was formally ended during a visit to the physiotherapist at his training base in Switzerland earlier this year. "I went to the physio thinking `Oh it can't be that bad', to then finding out it is actually quite serious," Thorpe said.
IAN Thorpe's dream of swimming at another Olympics is over. A shoulder injury has forced the 30-year-old to abandon any hopes of competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics. "I don't want to be the old man who can't do things - to push out something that may not be realistic any more," Thorpe told The Sunday Telegraph. "Although I am going to continue swimming, realistically I don't think I will be able to get back to a position where I am at the top of the sport." The five-time Olympic champion will still train with coach Gennadi Touretski purely for the love of swimming. Thorpe knew his swimming career was in jeopardy several months ago, but still held out hope until recent days, even telling the media early last week that he wouldn't rule out Rio. In his bid to make the Glasgow Commonwealth Games next year, and the Olympics, Thorpe had increased his kilometres in the pool but was struggling to complete his training sessions. "I kept on not being able to get through them, and then I decided I am just going to push through it, basically I have moved the positioning of my scapula that's caused a tremendous amount of tension on the front of my shoulder," Thorpe said. "When I did it, I was advised, you have two options, one is surgery and the second is you have to rest. I have had surgery once before. It was just after I stopped swimming the first time, it took me around two years to recover and I have decided I am not having surgery again." Thorpe's career resurrection was formally ended during a visit to the physiotherapist at his training base in Switzerland earlier this year. "I went to the physio thinking `Oh it can't be that bad', to then finding out it is actually quite serious," Thorpe said.
