Ian Thorpe reduces weight to 98 kilograms on his way to becoming competition ready - Swimming
Five time Olympic Gold medallist and Australian comeback king, Ian Thorpe, has stepped over another hurdle in his way to staging a comeback by dropping his weight to 98 kilograms.
Thorpe, who returned to competitive swimming in February 2011, gained a lot of weight after his retirement in 2006. Thorpe was reported to have gained over 110 kilos after his retirement from competitive swimming but now the Australian champion seems to
be right back on track.
Thorpe retired after earning the titles of the 200m freestyle and 400m freestyle at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. He then returned to competitive swimming saying that he felt unjustified with his decision of early retirement,
seeking his qualification for the 2012 London Olympics
Thorpe is training in Switzerland under the guidance of Gennadi Touretski and his hard work seems to have paid off. Ian’s manager, Dave Flaskas, has said that Thorpe will race at the Singapore Swimming Championships on November 4, 2011. The restriction imposed
by FINA on him to compete at the international meets expires in October 2011. He also said that Thorpe will also compete at the New South Wales Swimming Championship on February 2012.
“He is back to his race weight, which is just under 100kg. He is thriving overseas and is training really hard under [coach] Gennadi Touretski - both in the water and on dry land. It's clear this is not a half-baked comeback. He is really serious,” Flaskas
said.
Manager Dave also made fun of the rumour that Thorpe had plastic surgery for the Royal Wedding. The stories were circulating that he looked smart and slim faced. The manager justified Thorpe’s efforts in losing weight by saying that he has put a lot of effort
into his sports and the results were noticeable from his slim face. “He is also super happy and really believes that his best swimming is ahead of him - particularly in the shorter, sprint events,” Flaskas added.
Thorpe’s weight losing effort is another step towards his aim of London Qualification and the 28-year-old Australian seems to be determined to achieve his goal.
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