This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/sport1/hi/other_sports/swimming/5402568.stm

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Thorpe 'quit' talk gathers pace Star Thorpe announces retirement
(about 13 hours later)
Five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe could be poised to rock the world of swimming by announcing his retirement. Five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe has stunned the world of swimming by retiring at the age of 24.
A news conference in Sydney on Tuesday was initially expected to confirm the 24-year-old Australian's withdrawal from next March's World Championships. The Australian won three gold medals at the 2000 Games in Sydney and added two titles in Athens four years later.
But reports now suggest he may use it to bring the curtain down on his glittering career in the pool. But he has barely competed since then because of injury and fatigue, and told a news conference in Sydney he had been weighing up his future for some time.
Thorpe, who has been hampered by illness and injury, has not competed at a major meet since the 2004 Olympics. "I've had a great career. It isn't the best time to be walking away from the sport but it's my time," he said.
class="bodl" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A17527359"> 606 DEBATE: Should Ian Thorpe retire at the age of 24? "It's a decision that has been difficult. I realise that there's things in my life that are more important for me.
His long lay-off has affected his training in the build-up to next month's Australian national trials in Brisbane next month. "I've reached all the dizzying heights of this sport. I've had a tremendous amount of success and I've also had setbacks.
If he misses those he will be ineligible for the 2007 Melbourne World Championships. "None of my goals included breaking any more world records. I knew how to do it, but it wasn't as inspiring as it should have been."
"He's had a long road back. It's been tougher than we thought, so we'll get together in the next 48 hours to make a decision," said Thorpe's coach Milt Nelms. Born in Sydney, Thorpe first swam for his country at the age of 14 and set the first of his 13 world records a year later.
Ian needs to know where he is going to go for the rest of his life and have a plan in place Australian head coach Alan Thompson In addition to his Olympic success, he went on to claim 11 world titles and 10 Commonwealth Games gold medals, six of which he gained in Manchester in 2002.
Double world record-holder Thorpe has won five Olympic gold medals and 10 World Championship gold medals. Swimming has been a security blanket but I haven't balanced out my life Ian Thorpe
He has already said his long-term goal is to win another gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he would become the first male swimmer to win gold at three Olympics. But he missed the 2005 World Championships after deciding to take a year off and pulled out of the Commonwealth Games this year because of glandular fever.
Thorpe recently relocated to Los Angeles and there have been doubts about whether he is still fully motivated. The Australian sporting icon moved to Los Angeles this year and rumours were rife that he was losing motivation.
He missed the 2005 World Championships after deciding to take a year off and pulled out of the Commonwealth Games this year because of glandular fever. He was expected to announce his withdrawal from next month's national trials, ruling him out of next year's World Championships in Melbourne.
Australia head coach Alan Thompson says Thorpe needs to decide soon what his future holds. However, speculation that he was thinking of going much further than that was confirmed to a packed news conference.
"I think it is a distraction for Ian - he needs to know where he is going to go for the rest of his life and have a plan in place," he said. There are suggestions that he might now look into a career in television.
Thorpe's team-mate Grant Hackett, the world and Olympic 1,500m champion, said he would be surprised if Thorpe quit. "Swimming has been a security blanket but I haven't balanced out my life. I realised I had to prioritise other things and let swimming take a backseat," Thorpe added.
"Any athlete who has had an extended break has periods where there is a dip in motivation and others where they are highly aroused to compete," he said. "I'm looking at the next phase and that means I'm realigning what the most important thing is for me to do.
"If there was talk of retiring, and he said it tomorrow, I'd find it hard to comprehend. "Swimming is not at the top of the list, which has not happened before."
"I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago and he sounded very motivated towards Beijing.
"But he's the only one who can answer those questions. I'm fairly intrigued and interested to see what he's going to announce, just like everybody else."