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Ian Thorpe entered the 2000 Sydney Olympics bearing the weight of tremendous
expectations as a locally born swimming world champion in a nation that loves
swimming heroes. And he was only 17 years old. On the very first day of
competition, Thorpe showed that he could handle the pressure. Racing in the 400m
freestyle, he won the gold medal by breaking his own world record. An hour after
this triumph, Thorpe swam the anchor leg for Australia in the 4x100m freestyle
relay. He came from behind to barely beat Gary Hall, Jr. of the United States in
a thrilling finish. Two days later, Thorpe earned a silver medal behind Pieter
van den Hoogenband in the 200m freestyle. Next he swam the leadoff leg for
Australia's 4x200m freestyle relay team that went on to win in world record
time.
Although he did not participate in the final, Thorpe gained a fifth medal, a
silver, by swimming in a preliminary heat of the 4x100m medley relay. At the
Athens Olympic Games in 2004, Thorpe added four medals to his tally: a gold in
the 200m freestyle with a new Olympic record of 1'44"71, another gold in the
400m freestyle, then a silver in the 4x200m freestyle and a bronze in the 100m
freestyle. He also came 6th in the 4x100m freestyle relay. His victory in the
200m, the big race of the Games, ahead of the American Michael Phelps and
Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband, gave him revenge for his surprise defeat by
van den Hoogenband in front of his home crowd in Sydney in 2000. At 22, Thorpe
is the most titled Australian swimmer in history.
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| Olympic Games |
Events |
Med. |
| Sydney 2000 |
200m freestyle |
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| Sydney 2000 |
400m freestyle |
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| Sydney 2000 |
4x100m freestyle relay |
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| Sydney 2000 |
4x100m medley relay |
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| Sydney 2000 |
4x200m freestyle relay |
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| Athens 2004 |
100m freestyle |
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| Athens 2004 |
200m freestyle |
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| Athens 2004 |
400m freestyle |
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| Athens 2004 |
4x200m freestyle relay |
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