Ian Thorpe

was born

Oct 13, 1982

A large baby, Thorpe weighed 4.1 kg (9.02 lb) and measured 0.59 m (1 ft 11 in) in length at birth. Growing up in the Sydney suburb of Milperra, Thorpe hailed from a sporting family.

started squad training

Jan 1, 1990

Perth, World Championships

Period: Jan 8, 1998 to Jan 17, 1998

At the age of 14, he became the youngest male ever to represent Australia, and his victory in the 400 metre freestyle at the 1998 Perth World Championships made him the youngest ever individual male World Champion.

Perth, World Championships

Jan 10, 1998

At the age of 14, he became the youngest male ever to represent Australia, and his victory in the 400 metre freestyle at the 1998 Perth World Championships made him the youngest ever individual male World Champion.

the Athens Olympics

Aug 16, 2004

<a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Summer_Olympics' >His wins in the 200 m and 400 m and his bronze in the 100 m freestyle in Athens have made him the only male to have won medals in the 100–200–400 combination.

a press conference

Feb 2, 2011

He spoke of his return to swimming after four years away from the pool, with the aim of competing in the London Olympic Games