Four world record holders and Ian Thorpe on a revenge mission. This was the race that had it all

About 20 minutes before the “Race of the Century”, as the world’s media had dubbed it, Ian Thorpe walked over to a group of his Australian teammates at the Athens Olympics warm-up pool.

The most recognised and distinguished swimmer in the world was minutes away from competing in the men’s 200m freestyle final; the most highly anticipated event not only on the 2004 Olympic swimming program, but in living memory.

“Hey, I want to ask you guys something,” Thorpe said to his closest circle of friends on the team. “What’s an animal that projects strength in your mind?”

For a moment, the group was stunned.

“I just found it really profound that he was thinking like that,” said dual Olympian Brett Hawke, who was in the group that also featured Michael Klim, Geoff Huegill and another Australian competitor in the race, Grant Hackett.

Around they went.

Hawke nominated a hawk, which flies above its prey before swooping.

According to those present, lions, tigers and bears were all thrown up as suggestions. Thorpe nodded and thanked those there, before making his way to the marshalling room, ready to avenge his shock loss to Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband in the same event at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

“There were five Olympic champions in one race. That hadn’t happened before,” Thorpe told this masthead. “There was global interest in this event that hadn’t existed in swimming. It was the second-highest rating program to the Super Bowl that year. I was confident going in.”

The race featured Thorpe, van den Hoogenband, Hackett and a young man by the name of Michael Phelps, who was aiming to emulate US icon Mark Spitz by winning seven gold medals at the same Olympics.

“The race just got bigger and bigger and bigger,” van den Hoogenband told this masthead on a Zoom call from the Netherlands.

Klim could tell that Thorpe was in the zone, four years after heartbreak at home.

“It almost seemed like Thorpey was possessed. He had something to prove,” Klim said.

A shock silver in Sydney

On night one of the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Thorpe, 17, won gold in the 400m freestyle and anchored Australia to victory in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay.

He was expected to add another gold in the 200m freestyle in his home pool, but van den Hoogenband, a 100m freestyle specialist, had other ideas.

Van den Hoogenband (PVH): Our pictures were on the front of newspapers and at bus stops. People were really looking forward to it. I was not really aware of what was going on because I was so focused. I knew I had a chance of winning the gold. I knew it wasn’t a very big chance because Thorpey was the big favourite. I watched him win gold in the 400m freestyle, and I was like, ‘Whoa, he’s in top shape.’

Van den Hoogenband broke the 200m freestyle world record in the semi-finals before clocking the same time in the final, en route to a gold medal less than half a second ahead of Thorpe.

Pieter van den Hoogenband celebrates his 200m freestyle win over Ian Thorpe at the Sydney Olympics. Credit: Vince Caligiuri

Thorpe: The 200 free in Sydney was the only race I felt I lost in my career. It’s a race I probably should have won and didn’t. I was swimming against one of my friends but also someone who is arguably the best sprint freestyler the world has ever seen.

PVH: I had been named European sportsman of the year. They [Dutch fans] also had great expectations. I love the saying humble in victory and gracious in defeat. That is what Thorpey was. He just gave me a hug, and he said something like, ‘Well done Pieter.’ He knows what it takes to win. The Australian public were very positive to me. It was a great feeling.

Hawke: We were very shocked when Pieter came out and got that win.

The build-up to Athens begins

The loss lingered for Thorpe, who used it as motivation in training.

In the four years leading into Athens, Thorpe did not lose another 200m freestyle final.

In March 2001, Thorpe regained the 200m freestyle world record before winning gold, ahead of van den Hoogenband, at the world championships in Fukuoka later that year.

The paths of Van den Hoogenband and Thorpe crossed again in 2003 at the world championships, with the latter prevailing by 1.29 seconds in the 200m freestyle.

Ian Thorpe and Pieter van den Hoogenband in 2003.Credit: AP

PVH: After Sydney, I got many invitations to have skins swim meets against Thorpey. We had to promote our sports. At the 2001 world championships, Thorpey was huge in Japan, and he was in very good shape. I started training too late because I wanted a rest after Sydney. You won’t win gold every day. In 2003, there was disappointment. I had food poisoning one week before [the world championships]. I’d signed a contract with Nike, and they had a big campaign in Barcelona. I wasn’t in top shape before the Olympics. I got two silvers and a bronze. I was disappointed but my coach Jacco Verhaeren told me, ‘You’ll win or you’ll learn.’

All eyes on the ‘Race of the Century’

By the time 2004 arrived, Phelps had announced himself as a superstar of the future. He had plenty of events on his program – mostly butterfly and individual medley races – but needed victory in the 200m freestyle if he wanted to win a record-equalling seven gold medals.

“This is the best opportunity for me to swim in the fastest 200 in history,” Phelps said before Athens. “I love a challenge.”

Those involved in the race remember the press conference beforehand. It left nobody in any doubt about what was to come. Interest in a four-lap race was enormous and unprecedented.

PVH: It was packed. After the press conference, I said to Jacco, ‘Wow, this is going to be a huge one.’ This is a big thing not only in the world of swimming, but sport in general.

The world’s media descends on Ian Thorpe in Athens. Credit: Craig Golding

Thorpe: Michael was preparing for what could have been seven gold medals at the Athens Olympics.

Hackett: You had four world record holders in that event. Pieter was the world record holder in the 100. I used to be a world record holder in the 200. I had the world record in the 1500 and soon to be 800. Thorpey held it in the 200 and 400. It was just a pretty crazy group of people coming together for that race. I’m just grateful to be part of the race. Those guys are all massive rock stars in the sport.

Klim: Phelps was very vocal about taking Thorpey down. Pieter was obviously the man to beat.

Hawke: I don’t think everybody looked at Phelps the way they looked at him [four years later] in 2008.

Thorpe (1:46.65) was the second-fastest qualifier for the final, behind van den Hoogenband (1:46.00) but ahead of Phelps (1:47.08). Few people, however, knew there was concern in van den Hoogenband’s camp.

Ian Thorpe wins his 200m freestyle heat as Pieter van den Hoogenband looks on. Credit: Steve Christo

Leigh Nugent (Australian head coach): I can remember sitting in the stands watching the semi-finals. Phelps was in the first semi, and I thought, ‘How good does this bloke look?’ Ian got up in the next semi, and he made Michael look technically average. I thought, ‘How dare I think like that.’

PVH: I was injured. I had this L4/L5 lower back problem. Two months before the Olympics, I got a scan. There was panic. It was pretty bad. We had to change my preparations. To get in the start position, it really hurt my back. I was comfortable in the water but the push-off from the wall was very painful. In the heats everything went well, and in the semis it was quite relaxed. When I was in the warm-up pool, you could see people were filming us. Other coaches and athletes were watching us. People in my lane would stop to watch me warm-up. There was a lot of excitement.

Thorpe: In the marshalling area, I’m relaxed. I don’t see any point in focusing on more than what’s required. I switch it on when I’m basically called out to the pool and the race starts. Michael [Phelps] is usually sitting by himself listening to music. It’s just people preparing different ways. That whole kind of psych yourself up to race has never worked for me. It was very different compared to going into the 400 freestyle. After the 400 [Thorpe won gold], I’m relieved that I had that race finished and I could actually start at the Olympics.

PVH: In the call room, it was a relaxed atmosphere. There were no mental tricks. I was talking to Thorpey and Hacky. Phelps is not always very social at that moment, but that’s fine. That’s what he loved to do. I was with my Australian friends. I watched that 400 freestyle and knew my Australian friends were in a good space. I also was in good shape. I had my best split in the 4x100 freestyle relay. I knew I had speed. I was not comfortable with my lower back. We stood up, the lady said, ‘Form a line, gentlemen’, and we got the call to walk into the arena. You could hear this roar. It was fantastic to feel the tension and excitement.

The race from heaven

The “Race of the Century″⁣ gets under way in Athens. Credit: AP

Van den Hoogenband, an excellent 100m freestyler, wanted to take out the race hard and make a statement. By the 100m mark, the Dutchman was more than a second under world record pace.

Tracey Menzies (Thorpe’s coach): The middle 100 was the part that we focused on. We knew Pieter would be out fast. Ian said, ‘I need you to help me win the 200.’ That was the one that he wanted.

PVH: I knew my weapon would be my speed to go out fast. I hoped they didn’t have the speed I had. They went out a little bit slower.

With the crowd on their feet, Thorpe made his move on the third lap, as Phelps tried to hang on. Hackett also had work to do.

PVH: In the third 50, I thought Thorpey was catching up. As I entered the third turn, it hurt my back. Thorpey went underwater and came back. I could feel I wasn’t going to win. I was just defeated. I was happy that he won. I gave him a hug. I think I got his arm and raised his arm to show the world he was No.1. I think he said something like, ‘It’s 1-1.’ I feel humbled to be in a race like that.

Hackett (fourth place): I thought I’d be close, but not really in it. You’ve got to be realistic with some of these races. If one of those guys drops off in third, I’m right there.

Klim: That 200 for me was probably the best race Thorpey ever did. The way he came off that wall … he was able to accelerate further. When Thorpey was put under pressure, he was able to find something. He was a master at delivering under pressure.

Nugent: It was one of the greatest swims I’ve seen. It would have hurt for four years knowing he should have won the 200 in Sydney. He swam that 200 like he was invincible.

Hawke: I knew Ian was going to win that behind the blocks because of the conversation we had 20 minutes before the race.

Thorpe: It felt incredibly different to what the 400 was. I don’t recall what Pieter said to me. He congratulated me. We had a great match-up. He was coming up from 100 and me down from the 400. I’d been able to formulate different ways of swimming the 200 freestyle. It’s having different tools in your toolkit. Pieter was more limited in the way that he’d be able to swim it. It was just being able to embrace the arena.

The last dance

At the time, many thought a third instalment might be on the cards in Beijing in 2008. Thorpe retired before then.

It was a successful Olympics for Hackett, who produced one of Australia’s greatest ever moments in the pool by winning another gold in the 1500m freestyle and then revealing he had swum with a partially collapsed lung. That didn’t stop the Australians letting their hair down in Athens and celebrating a momentous few races.

Hackett, however, has one regret from Athens.

Hackett: I think racing the three 200s when I was crook, obviously with the partially collapsed lung – and I had pneumonia at the start of the year – it made me a bit tired for the 4x200m freestyle relay (Australia won silver, 0.13 seconds behind the USA). I probably would have given up being in that 200m freestyle final any day to be a bit quicker in that lead-off to get that relay gold medal off the US. It’s literally the only race where I’ve teared up afterwards. I got to the massage physio area and I lost it. Someone puts your hand on your back and then you’re crying like a baby.

Ian Thorpe celebrates his win. Credit: Getty

Hawke: After Grant won his gold in the 1500, within an hour we were in a taxi on the way out to a nightclub. We were driving down the streets of Greece and it was myself, Grant Hackett, Ian Thorpe and Michael Klim. I was in the front seat and they were in the back. The guy driving the taxi was flying down the road, driving very fast. I’m thinking to myself, ‘Man, if we get killed in this taxi right now, no one’s going to know who I was.’ I’m going to die nameless.

PVH: After 20 years, kids still watch that 200m final on YouTube. They love the story around that race. A few years ago when I came back to Australia for a documentary, I was at passport control. This guy looked up and said, ‘Hey Pieter, welcome back, mate.’ I went to Bondi Beach with my wife and the cab driver was like, ‘Hey Hoogie, welcome back, mate.’ That was so lovely. It was nice to be part of history.

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