Ian Thorpe: five top tips from a five-time gold medallist
2016-05-01
1. Set yourself goals – and you may achieve your dreams
My goal was to become an Olympian, but my dream was to become an Olympic champion. They’re two different things. Dreams are those lofty aspirations that you’re a little bit too embarrassed to tell people about, because the likelihood of them happening is so slight. But I thought for myself that I could become an Olympian; that was a realistic goal, and something really worthwhile to work towards. I was probably 11 or 12 years old when I first dreamt about becoming an Olympic champion. I think that is probably an aspiration for most young athletes and most young competitors as well. But I was someone who was really quite precise in the way that I’d set goals and would achieve them each year as well. Not just a goal such as “becoming an Olympian”, but specific times that I wanted to hit over the season. When I won the World Championships in 1998, I’d just turned 15, so that was the first time I realised, “Oh, this is now a possibility”.
2. Make the most of the opportunity
My advice to athletes competing at their first Olympic Games is to really grasp the opportunity, because of how rare it is for all of us. When you look at how many people and what percentage of the world could possibly be an Olympian, you’re in a very elite group. You should be grateful for that opportunity and really grasp it and make the most of it. And try not to worry about nerves; everyone’s equally as nervous as you are.
3. Enjoy it
If I could go back and give any advice to myself about the Olympic Games, I would allow myself to enjoy it more. I was so focused on results. I had to swim on multiple nights to get those results, but there was probably enough space to enjoy it just a little bit more. Not much, but maybe enough to let myself appreciate what I’d just done rather than focusing on what was next.
4. Think like a champion
People will always try to offer advice, but some of it isn’t always helpful. I remember being told one thing that really irked me. That was, “When you reach number one, you should train like you’re number two”. That really irritates me. If you make it to number one, you should train like you’re number one. Why would you ever accept second best? One-liners like that might sound great on the surface. But when you think about it, that mentality doesn’t carry through, because you’re no longer in the second position. You’re no longer the underdog. You have to think like the champion to be able to get the results of a champion.
5. Embrace being a role model
You don’t know when it happens, but as an Olympian you obviously do become a role model. I used to get boxes of mail delivered, because you used to be able to write a message to the Olympians during Sydney 2000. I’d get thousands a day. At the time I thought, “Okay, this is too much to bear. I don’t know how I’m going to respond to all of these”. But it’s nice [to know that people are looking up to you]. There’s a responsibility that does come with that, that at times can make it feel like it’s a little bit too much. But overall, you have the ability to really make someone’s day, and it’s a unique thing. So, you should try and embrace it as much as possible.
2016-05-01
1. Set yourself goals – and you may achieve your dreams
My goal was to become an Olympian, but my dream was to become an Olympic champion. They’re two different things. Dreams are those lofty aspirations that you’re a little bit too embarrassed to tell people about, because the likelihood of them happening is so slight. But I thought for myself that I could become an Olympian; that was a realistic goal, and something really worthwhile to work towards. I was probably 11 or 12 years old when I first dreamt about becoming an Olympic champion. I think that is probably an aspiration for most young athletes and most young competitors as well. But I was someone who was really quite precise in the way that I’d set goals and would achieve them each year as well. Not just a goal such as “becoming an Olympian”, but specific times that I wanted to hit over the season. When I won the World Championships in 1998, I’d just turned 15, so that was the first time I realised, “Oh, this is now a possibility”.
2. Make the most of the opportunity
My advice to athletes competing at their first Olympic Games is to really grasp the opportunity, because of how rare it is for all of us. When you look at how many people and what percentage of the world could possibly be an Olympian, you’re in a very elite group. You should be grateful for that opportunity and really grasp it and make the most of it. And try not to worry about nerves; everyone’s equally as nervous as you are.
3. Enjoy it
If I could go back and give any advice to myself about the Olympic Games, I would allow myself to enjoy it more. I was so focused on results. I had to swim on multiple nights to get those results, but there was probably enough space to enjoy it just a little bit more. Not much, but maybe enough to let myself appreciate what I’d just done rather than focusing on what was next.
4. Think like a champion
People will always try to offer advice, but some of it isn’t always helpful. I remember being told one thing that really irked me. That was, “When you reach number one, you should train like you’re number two”. That really irritates me. If you make it to number one, you should train like you’re number one. Why would you ever accept second best? One-liners like that might sound great on the surface. But when you think about it, that mentality doesn’t carry through, because you’re no longer in the second position. You’re no longer the underdog. You have to think like the champion to be able to get the results of a champion.
5. Embrace being a role model
You don’t know when it happens, but as an Olympian you obviously do become a role model. I used to get boxes of mail delivered, because you used to be able to write a message to the Olympians during Sydney 2000. I’d get thousands a day. At the time I thought, “Okay, this is too much to bear. I don’t know how I’m going to respond to all of these”. But it’s nice [to know that people are looking up to you]. There’s a responsibility that does come with that, that at times can make it feel like it’s a little bit too much. But overall, you have the ability to really make someone’s day, and it’s a unique thing. So, you should try and embrace it as much as possible.
