“Proved Wrong”- Ian Thorpe Once Doubted Michael Phelps Charge To Fulfill His Life-Long Ambition

Before Michael Phelps graced his presence in the pool and made an indomitable mark in the swimming world, there was Ian Thorpe. The Aussie swimmer made a big splash at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics announcing his arrival as the swimming GOAT. Although he was a little ahead of Phelps’ time, the two did clash once on a big stage. But the day Ian Thorpe had to eat his own words about Phelps, was also the day he was proud of the latter. What was it that Thorpe said about him? Let’s find out.

Ian Thorpe and Michael Phelps went head-to-head in the 200m IM at the 2003 World Aquatics Championships. Phelps, the new kid in the block, beat Thorpe, the then-biggest star in the sport, by a good 3.62 seconds. However, it didn’t stop Thorpe to make a prediction about Phelps, five years later at the Beijing Olympics 2008. The prediction did not come true. Nonetheless, he was happy at the emergence and prospect of a new swimming superstar.

Michael Phelps set a new world record as Ian Thorpe gets his prediction wrong

Before the start of the Beijing Olympics, Ian Thorpe told Reuters, “I don’t think he can do it. I just don’t think he will. Look at the competition”. Thorpe was referring to Phelps achieving his dream of 8 Gold Medals in a single Olympics (a record that still stands today) and edging out Mark Spitz’s record 7 Gold Medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics. It also ensured that Phelps went past Ian Thorpe’s all-time record of 9 Olympic Medals with his 10th.

After a tough competition that had its ebbs and flows, Phelps did the unthinkable. Thorpe, with his jaw open, told The Telegraph reporters, “Never in my life have I been so happy to have been proved wrong. I enjoyed every moment of it”. Although Thorpe was proven wrong that day, his initial doubts weren’t entirely baseless.

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Thorpe was correct in assuming the tough competition ahead of Phelps. A strong Australian team led by Eamon Sullivan and the French squad led by Alain Bernard awaited Phelps’s American team at the 400m Freestyle Relay. While Phelps had already clinched Gold at the 400 IM, the 400m freestyle relay was a humdinger of a race. It went down as the fastest relay race in Olympics swimming history.

Phelps’s victory over Thorpe at the 2003 World Championships was the triggering factor in Speedo, Phelps’s sponsor, offering him a $1 million prize if he beat Mark Spitz’s record 7 Olympic Golds in a single Olympics. Phelps did just that at the 2008 Beijing edition, despite pressures from tough opponents.

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A teenage Michael Phelps had already made his presence felt in the swimming world at the two previous Olympics – 2004 Athens and 2000 Sydney. However, it was the 2008 Beijing edition that stamped his reputation as one of the greatest. He went on to win more medals in upcoming editions and be branded as the ‘GOAT’. Do you think Michael Phelps is still the GOAT of swimming? Who do you think in the future can break all his Olympics records? Let us know below.