Australian Olympic legend Ian Thorpe reveals why he nearly retired at 17, as he talks about coming out – and advice for gay AFL players looking to go public
- Thorpe considered retirement very early
- Believes a gay AFL player would be embraced
- If you need assistance, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14
Ian Thorpe, Australia’s greatest ever Olympic swimmer, has revealed that he seriously considered retiring at the age of 17 – and offers advice to gay AFL players thinking about coming out.
The five-time gold medalist has reflected on the pressure he faced at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where he was expected to win gold as a 17-year-old.
Thorpe, who had been world champion since he was 15, told the story News Corp that it was almost impossible to block out the sound.
And after winning gold, Thorpe felt like he had finally accomplished what he always set out to do.
“When I was a kid, my goal was to become an Olympian, but my dream was to become an Olympic champion. They are two very different things. The dream is something that’s a loftier ambition, and it’s something you don’t know if you’re allowed to pursue,’ Thorpe said.
Thorpe says he almost quit the sport aged 17 after achieving everything he dreamed of
Thorpe says he was afraid to come out as gay because of the pressure he was under
“But I had fulfilled both when I was a kid, so at that stage I thought, ‘What am I supposed to be looking for?’ I have achieved more in this than I ever expected. Is it time for me to actually move on to another area of my life?’
“So I thought about that for a little while, even at the Sydney Olympics, when I finished competing. Should I just distance myself from the sport?’
When asked if the pressure and anxiety were too much to handle, Thorpe said it wasn’t the problem.
‘None of that. I felt there was more to be achieved outside of the pool, and I had achieved everything I could have imagined in it at the time,” he said.
Thorpe, who publicly came out as gay in 2014, explained that during his swimming career he was afraid to reveal the truth about his sexuality because he “had enough on his plate already.”
“It was more out of fear, and because I was under such immense pressure.
“This could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, and I had plenty on my plate where I was expected to win things.”
No current AFL men’s players have publicly come out as gay, but Thorpe believes they would gain support if they took that groundbreaking move.
Thorpe believes an openly gay AFL player would be well received these days
The Olympian says an AFL star coming out will make it easier for kids struggling with their own sexual identity
“I think they are generally well received. Some of the concerns that male athletes who happen to be homosexual have previously had have partially disappeared.
“I think first of all the team would probably be the most accepting. That’s the group you want acceptance from, the people you train with and work towards a common goal with.
“When it comes to the fans, I’m not 100 percent sure, but I think that person would be embraced most of all.”
Thorpe believes the odds are pretty good that there is a player in the AFL currently struggling to come out, and would like to give him some advice.
“I encourage them that it will be a much better path than they probably think,” he says.
“But again, they’re going to make that journey a lot easier for kids who might be struggling elsewhere in the country, because if you can’t see it, you can’t be it.”