GIRL.COM.AU'S SPORTS STAR OF THE MONTH
At the age of fourteen, Ian Thorpe became the youngest male to qualify for an Australian Swim Team. He made his international debut at the Pan Pacific Championships in Japan.
Name: IAN THORPE
Nickname: Flipper, Thorpedo
Date of Birth: 13/10/82
Height: 195cm
Feet Size: Size 16
Occupation: Swimmer
Club: Aquadot Sydney
Coach: Doug Frost
Events: 100m, 200m & 400m freestyle
Training Regime: 20 hours a week in the pool
3 hours a week in the gym
Residence: Milperra, Sydney
Education: East Hills Boys Technical School - he left school to concentrate on his Sydney 2000 preparation. He completed Year 10 last year.
Family: Mother - Margaret; Father - Ken; Sister - Christina
Interests/Hobbies: Water skiing, computer games, grunge music, going to the beach and watching television.
Fave Bands: Greenday, Offspring and Tonic
Fave TV Shows: Friends and Dharma & Greg
Fave Foods: Ice cream, caramel food sticks, cupcakes
Heroes: Kieran Perkins, Alex Popov, Michael Jordan, Carl Lewis, and Mark Spitz
Bad Habits: Cracking his fingers, back and neck
ACHIEVEMENTS:
1998 - World Championships Gold Medal Winner
400m freestyle & 4 x 200m freestyle relay
He became the youngest male world champion in swimming history.
1998 - Named 'Male Swimmer of the Year' by Swimming World Magazine
1999 - Winner of 4 Gold Medals at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
1999 - Named 'Australian Swimmer of the Year'
1999 - Named 'Young Australian of the Year' and winner of the 'Young
Australian Sports Award'
2000 - Broke his own 400m freestyle world record with a time of 3:41.33 and the
200m freestyle with a time of 1:45.51 at the Telstra 2000 Australian
Selection Trials in Sydney.
- Annemarie Failla