'98 World Championships
"It
was awesome winning that. To swim so well is an incredible feeling in
front of all these people."
Thorpe after winning the 4 X 200m freestyle at
the World Championships January 1998, with Grant Hackett, Michael Klim
and Daniel Kowalski.
"When I looked up
at the finish, I wasn't sure whether the scoreboard was right. I just couldn't
believe it."
Thorpe after just beating Grant Hackett in the
400m freestyle final at the World Championships in January 1998.
"It's starting
to catch up with me. In the last five days I've had a total of 30 hours'
sleep."
Ian Thorpe after the World Championships in January 1998.
'98 Commonwealth Games
"It is more
difficult to make the team than it is to win the medal at the Commonwealth
Games."
Thorpe talking about the Australian Swimming trials
for the Commonwealth Games.
"I was actually pretty
surprised with my 200 and really happy to win the 400m ... but there is no way
I'll be swimming the 1500m".
Thorpe after his success at the Commonwealth Games trials.
"It was very close
wasn't it, I can't believe I got that close."
Thorpe after the 200m freestyle at the Commonwealth
Games after coming 0.01seconds off the World Record.
"I wasn't
as close to the world record as I was in the 200m but who's complaining?
It's faster than I expected to go at these championships."
Thorpe after the 400m freestyle at the Commonwealth
Games, he was 0.55 seconds off the world record.
'99 Pan Pacs
"I did three weeks of altitude
training in Colorado a while back, and I came back the fittest I've ever been.
I seem a lot fitter in the water that I have in the past."
Ian before the Pan Pacs.
"I think it's the first
time I've come close to a world record, but gone under it."
Ian after breaking the 400m freestyle World Record.
"I really amazed myself
that I went that fast. Tonight I swum my own race and I think I really
benefited from that."
Ian after breaking the 400m freestyle World Record.
"It's pretty unbelievable.
I didn't expect to do three in a row."
Ian after breaking three world records in three nights at the Pan Pacs.
"It's incredibly exciting and
you know I didn't get too much sleep."
Ian the day after breaking the world record in the 400m freestyle.
"Something along the lines of
'congratulations' and you know 'you deserve that one' so I mean it really was
one of my greatest moments that I've experienced being a swimmer really, it
was his way of showing his respects of what I'd just achieved."
Ian talking about what Kieren Perkins said to him after Ian broke Kieren's
WR in the 400m freestyle.
Olympics
"If I had the choice of breaking 20 world records or winning one Olympic gold medal, I'd take the gold medal. It's as simple as that"
Miscellaneous
"I've had
it a while, and at first I hated it, but now I guess it's all right."
Thorpe talking about his nickname 'Thorpedo'.
"One of the most important things
is too not get a big head over your successes."
Ian Thorpe talking generally.
"It's a totally different
experience from what it is to perform well as an individual, you share
the emotions with your team mates and you don't often don't get to do
that when you're swimming by yourself."
Ian on what it's like to swim in a relay team.
"I think we definatly inspire
eachother to go to new heights and form better times when we have debatably
the three fastest 200m freestyle swimmers in the world living her in Australia."
Ian talking about his relationship with Grant Hackett and Michael Klim.
This is a portion of an interview
with Ian Thorpe on keeping grounded:
Ian: "I've found it very difficult at times, growing up with that
as well, which is a bit of a problem for me."
Interviewer: "You've
got a car in the garage that you're too young to drive."
Ian: "That's exactly right, thanks to Mazda." - everyone laughs
Interviewer: "The sponsors will love you."
This is a portion of an interview
with Ian Thorpe on the attention he gets:
Ian: "Being an Australian swimmer and with the recognition that we do receive
ti's something that you have to accept and it has become part of everyday life,
it has to become part of the norm and it is hard to adjust to."
Interviewer: "And yet it's not normal, it's quite abnormal,"
Ian: "but it normal for us. What's normal for someone isn't normal for
someone else. It's something you have to adapt to, it makes you a better person
and a better swimmer."
