Olympian Ian Thorpe on family, swimming and being compared with Bradman

Olympic legend Ian Thorpe has opened up on his dream of becoming a father and why his days swimming laps are really over.

Ian Thorpe is fresh off a successful commentary stint at the Tokyo Olympics. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

First there is a pause. Then it becomes apparent Ian Thorpe is choking up.

Australia’s greatest ever swimmer is talking about the moment his “old school” father finally let his guard down.

It was 1999 and Ken Thorpe was at his own father’s death bed.

He was trying to explain what his son was about to accomplish in the pool.

“He compared me to Don Bradman. I think that is an honour to have that comparison. And it was the one way that my grandfather could understand what I was doing in the pool.”

Then, the long pause.

Father and son relations are swimming deep in Thorpe’s mind.

He is fresh from another stellar Olympics performance, this time out of the pool, in his role as special commentator for Channel 7.

His focus is now firmly on movie Streamline.

The coming-of-age drama is about an aspiring Olympic swimmer navigating the undercurrent of knowing he is exceptional and the pressure that comes with it, while grappling with the push and pull of life as an adolescent.

Ian Thorpe behind the scenes on Streamline with Levi Miller. Picture: Streamline

Originally due for a release at the Melbourne International Film Festival, then postponed because of Covid for a national release this week, the movie was pitched as a story of a teen swimming prodigy who is inspired by Thorpe’s life.

The five-time Olympic gold medallist says how far a parent should push their child drew him to sign on as executive producer.

“What do you do as a parent? Do you push the card? It is a great question for us all to answer, whether it is sport or anything else,” Thorpe said.

“That’s why I loved this film. It’s a question of this coming of age drama and what to do with your kids.”

His own plans for fatherhood with former partner Ryan Channing never eventuated after the long-term couple split on good terms in 2019.

But while single for now, having children is very much part of Thorpe’s life journey.

“I’d love to be a father at some stage. I’d love the kids in the pool, but I’d love playing in the pool and if they happen to like something else, I am happy with that as well.”

Another question asked in the film is why do you swim?

Thorpe invokes that nirvana moment.

“There is a stillness of solitariness that exists in the pool when you swim, especially if you swim well.

Thorpe with parents Margaret and Ken in 1998.

“You go into a place that is unique as there is buoyancy that lifts you up and gravity that pulls you down. In that is the magic of the water.

“It means that every trouble you may have seems to dissipate with a ripple of the water that moves off your body.”

His voice changes when he talks about the absolute adrenaline fix that comes with high performance competition.

“When you get it right and when you are swimming in that space you experience the equivalent g-forces that you can’t comprehend.

“Your body just absorbs it and loves it and that’s the competitive part of swimming.”

Thorpe retired in 2006, but even swimming laps chasing the black line is now in the past after shoulder surgery.

“It’s not appropriate for me to swim laps up and down a pool anymore.

“I can still catch a wave and what I tell anyone who has caught a wave, when the water overtakes you and you are sliding down that wave, that’s what every stroke feels like when swimming at high speed. And everyone can feel that.”

Thorpe at the 2004 Olympics. Picture: Gregg Porteous

As executive producer on Streamline Thorpe says he worked with the film’s lead Levi Miller on how to prepare as a champion.

This meant revealing some of his pre-race secrets.

“One of the things I always made sure I did was not use the ladder to get out of the pool.

“I made it look like it was no effort to me.” It was only later his competitors told him how intimidating he was.

“I didn’t really know. Being nervous is fine, but holding your stature and your posture if you think you are going to win is equally important,” he said.

“When you walk out, own the arena.

“Then you have to focus all that energy from absorbing an entire crowd into what you can do in one lane.

“It is an understanding of the pressure that comes with being a world record holder and then becoming an Olympic champion and the expectation.

“That is probably the biggest demon an athlete will ever face, the pressure of expectation.”

Ken Thorpe had dreams his son would follow in his footsteps to play first grade cricket.

“When you are a kid all you want to do is hit the ball over the fence,” Thorpe laughs.

“My father would have loved for me to play cricket.”

Ian Thorpe wasn’t able to be by his grandfather’s side before he died in 1999. As with other missed milestones, he was competing.

“I had to make the decision whether I swam or didn’t swim. It was hard. I was torn. I thought what would my grandfather want and he would have wanted me to compete,” Thorpe said.

“I went on to win a world record that night.”