Profile of an Australian Sporting Legend

Name AND photo of this individual:

Ian Thorpe

The sport they played: He’s a swimmer.

Length of their career (The years they played between): 1996-2006

Their biggest victories:

Ian Thorpe won five Olympic gold medals, the greatest total of any Australian. Thorpe first
grabbed world attention when he won the 1998 world 400m freestyle title in Perth, becoming,
at 15, the youngest world champion in history.
International competitions and influence:
Australian athlete, who was the most successful swimmer in that country's history,
accumulating five Olympic gold medals and 11 world championship titles between 1998 and
2004. At the 1998 world championships, Thorpe, then age 15, became the youngest world
swimming champion with his world-record victory in the 400-metre freestyle. Thorpe attracted
widespread attention during the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, where he won three gold medals
(400-metre freestyle, 4 × 200-metre freestyle relay, 4 × 100-metre freestyle relay) and one
silver medal (200-metre freestyle).

Commentary/ perspectives about this individual. Use primary sources:

Nineteen million Australians had no doubt Ian Thorpe would be Australia's first gold medallist
at the Sydney Olympics.

Reflect: Why was this individual so significant to Australian sports/ International sports?
Ian Thorpe was significant to Australian sports because he was the youngest member of the
Olympics to represent Australia.

Bibliography:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ian-Thorpe