 | Ian Thorpe
2000 AwardWorld Champion SwimmerAt 15 years of age most young Australians are busy dealing with the challenging transition presented by being a teenager in the modern world. At 15 years of age Young Australian of the Year, Ian Thorpe, was busy doing all that, and more, by becoming the youngest World Champion in history. Swimming since he was just eight years old Ian's natural abilities in the pool have rewritten the record books and made an enormous splash in the international swimming scene. At the 1998 Commonwealth Games in K.L., Ian won four Gold medals, broke three Commonwealth Records and one World Record. After helping Australia win Gold in both the 4x100m relay and the 4x200m relay, he went on to win Gold in the 200m freestyle and 400m freestyle events. At the Pan Pacific Championships the following year, he repeated the performance, winning an amazing three Gold medals and setting four World Records. Appropriately, he was honoured as Male Athlete of the Year in December 1999. Yet despite his super-star status on the world swimming stage he remained a Sydney schoolboy at heart, interested in his friends, his school work and the day to day life of a typical teenager. He wears his new found fame lightly, using it to help others as much as possible - like his ongoing fund raising work for leukemia and cancer research. He is also a regular visitor to Sydney Children's Hospital and St George Hospital, where his natural enthusiasm for life and easy going personality help keep up the spirits of his younger fans as they meet their own challenges. With the support of his own family Ian has been able to achieve a level of success many people can only dream about. He is an ideal role model for young Australians and a remarkable achiever at the highest level. |
