The new woman in Thorpie’s life: Mel McLaughlin by Ian’s side for public re-entry into world of sport

MEL McLaughlin will be by Ian Thorpe’s side for his very public re-entry into sporting life after a tough few months.

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MEL McLaughlin admits if she hadn’t accepted the gig with Channel Ten, no sports lover would “think I was of sound mind”.

Last year, the sports presenter and rabid Manchester United fan was loving life with Fox Sports, hosting and reporting A-League soccer and Socceroos matches.

Mel McLaughlin and Ian Thorpe will co-host the Commonwealth Games for Channel Ten.

She’d covered the 2003 Rugby World Cup, netball, cricket, Australian Open tennis and interviewed sporting greats including Greg Norman and David Beckham.

Then Ten came dangling some sporting carrots.

Mel McLaughlin interviews Torah Bright at the Sochi Winter Games.

The first was hosting the network’s T20 Big Bash cricket alongside Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Sir Viv Richards. Oh, and then could she nip over to Russia to host the Winter Olympics?

By the time they’d added Brazil for the FIFA World Cup, and the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, 34-year-old McLaughlin’s head was spinning.

“It was something I didn’t see coming. I never thought I’d be able to leave working with A-League because I am so passionate about it, and I am still, but once the boss threw in Brazil, I realised there’s not one person that would think I was of sound mind to say no to Russia, Brazil, Glasgow,” she says.

So began McLaughlin’s worldwide sports odyssey: Big Bash, Sochi Winter Games, Melbourne F1 Grand Prix, Australian swimming trials, FIFA World Cup, and now, Glasgow to anchor Commonwealth Games coverage alongside swimming great Ian Thorpe.

Not bad for the tomboy from Sydney’s western suburbs, who grew up in a family of three girls, with her soccer-mad Dad recruiting her early to the Manchester United football cause.

Ten sent McLaughlin to Brazil for its coverage of the World Cup.

“There were no brothers dragging us out to play sport. That was me,” McLaughlin says.

“I was the one dragging people outside to kick the ball around or shoot netball. I’d sit up with Dad to catch English football matches. I had a new Man U shirt every year which I wore like a uniform.”

Becoming a sport journalist was the perfect way to live her passion.

From her first media job at Radio 2 in Sydney as a sports producer, she moved to SBS covering A-League soccer. Next was Sky news for A-League coverage, then in 2007 she joined Fox Sports as host and reporter for their soccer coverage as her profile grew.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” McLaughlin says.

“At the Grand Prix this year (I was) almost pinching myself and thinking ‘how did I get here?’”

McLaughlin and the rest of Ten’s Big Bash commentary team: Mark Howard, Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Damien Fleming and Andy Maher.

She’s looking forward to working alongside Thorpe. She was a fan of his when he swam, and developed a new respect for his skills as a commentator at the London Olympics.

“I was in London working for Fox and he was doing commentary for the BBC,” she says.

“Everybody loved him. The English were hammering the Aussies for how badly they were going in the competition, but they loved his commentary and insight.”

Thorpe, who last week sat down for an interview with Sir Michael Parkinson after a “very tough last six months” is looking forward to his public re-entry into sporting life.

Sir Michael Parkinson’s interview explored the private and sometimes troubled world of Ian Thorpe.

“I thoroughly enjoy television work and commentary, not only across swimming, but all the Commonwealth sports,” he said.

“It has been a tremendously tough start to the year for me, particularly with respect to my health and the multiple surgeries I have undergone on my shoulder.

“The support that I have received … has been incredible and to have this opportunity with Ten is just amazing.

“I am on the mend and really wrapped with the exciting opportunities that lay ahead.”

Mel McLaughlin says are athletes are hungry for success at the Commonwealth Games.

McLaughlin may be making her first Commonwealth Games memories, but Thorpe already has a swag of his own.

“One would have to be the 200m freestyle final in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 where I won the gold and narrowly missed the world record by one hundredths of a second,” he says.

“The second was in Manchester in 2002 when I won the 400m freestyle and broke the world record.”

McLaughlin says Glasgow is a chance for Australian athletes to bury some ghosts after a lacklustre London Olympics.

“A lot of our athletes feel like they have points to prove,” she says.

“There are bruises left from London. They want medals. And they’re hungry. We haven’t seen gold in a little while.”

■ Coverage of the Glasgow 2014 XX Commonwealth Games starts 5.30am Thursday across Ten, One and TENplay

Originally published as The new woman in Thorpie’s life: Mel McLaughlin by Ian’s side for public re-entry into world of sport