thorpe update

mckinnon said:

Forget the 400m: Thorpe sticks with sprints
Date: August 9 2005

By Stathi Paxinos

Olympic and world champion Ian Thorpe is likely to drop the 400 metres
freestyle from his Commonwealth Games itinerary as he continues his
focus on taking on the sprinting world, coach Tracey Menzies said
yesterday.

Menzies said Thorpe, who aims to return to competition in December,
felt mentally burnt out by the 400m freestyle, especially after the
dramatic lead-up to last year's Athens Olympics, and he wanted a break
from the event he has dominated since the 1998 world championships.

Thorpe was disqualified from the 400m for a false start at the Olympic
trials and only raced in Athens after teammate Craig Stevens offered
Thorpe his spot.

Menzies said Thorpe might even consider replacing the 400m with the 50m
freestyle in Melbourne next year.

"He just wants a bit of a break from it," she said. "I think you need
to find new stimulants and a new love in what you are doing, and the
break has probably been a good thing for him."

Menzies said Thorpe had been eyeing the challenge of the 100m
freestyle, which would be one of the genuine world-class events at the
Commonwealth Games, with the field including South African world
championship silver- and bronze-medallists Roland Schoeman and Ryk
Neethling.

"I think he was in awe at how fast they were going at the worlds [in
Montreal]," she said.

Menzies conceded that Thorpe could find it difficult to return to the
400m freestyle - an event that requires different training to the
sprints - especially if his times in the 100m continued to improve. He
has already won a Commonwealth Games gold as well as Olympic and world
bronze medals in the event.

Thorpe has been back in training since early this year and aims to
return for the NSW titles.

Sydney Morning Herald
August 9

That's good news.

Line of the Olympics to me was the one during the 400M. The announcer
sounds Irish, or British: sorry, don't exactly know who it was.

He remarks during the race that some people questioned Thorpe's fitness
and training regime. The announcer said Thorpe's involvment in
"charity work" may be holding him back.

Yea right, gimme a break. A young, athletic, famous, good looking guy
with lots of money. And it's charity work that's going to hold back
his training!? I'm not saying he doesn't do lots of charity work - I'm
saying it wouldn't be what would hold back MY training if I had
Thorpe's size 17 feet and everything that goes along with it.

Eric

PS It's the same announcer that said Laure Manadou was "tough as old
rope". I think she's 19 years old, so I got a kick out of that one as
well.

That's not news. He has been saying that about the 400m since
immediately after he won the event at the Olympics.

He'd be silly to compete in the 50m - it doesn't suit his slow
turnover.

On 8 Aug 2005 10:17:24 -0700, "mckinnon" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Forget the 400m: Thorpe sticks with sprints
Date: August 9 2005

By Stathi Paxinos

Olympic and world champion Ian Thorpe is likely to drop the 400 metres
freestyle from his Commonwealth Games itinerary as he continues his
focus on taking on the sprinting world, coach Tracey Menzies said
yesterday.

Menzies said Thorpe, who aims to return to competition in December,
felt mentally burnt out by the 400m freestyle, especially after the
dramatic lead-up to last year's Athens Olympics, and he wanted a break
from the event he has dominated since the 1998 world championships.

Thorpe was disqualified from the 400m for a false start at the Olympic
trials and only raced in Athens after teammate Craig Stevens offered
Thorpe his spot.

Menzies said Thorpe might even consider replacing the 400m with the 50m
freestyle in Melbourne next year.

"He just wants a bit of a break from it," she said. "I think you need
to find new stimulants and a new love in what you are doing, and the
break has probably been a good thing for him."

Menzies said Thorpe had been eyeing the challenge of the 100m
freestyle, which would be one of the genuine world-class events at the
Commonwealth Games, with the field including South African world
championship silver- and bronze-medallists Roland Schoeman and Ryk
Neethling.

"I think he was in awe at how fast they were going at the worlds [in
Montreal]," she said.

Menzies conceded that Thorpe could find it difficult to return to the
400m freestyle - an event that requires different training to the
sprints - especially if his times in the 100m continued to improve. He
has already won a Commonwealth Games gold as well as Olympic and world
bronze medals in the event.

Thorpe has been back in training since early this year and aims to
return for the NSW titles.

Sydney Morning Herald
August 9

That's not news. He has been saying that about the 400m since
immediately after he won the event at the Olympics.

He'd be silly to compete in the 50m - it doesn't suit his slow
turnover.

On 8 Aug 2005 10:17:24 -0700, "mckinnon" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Forget the 400m: Thorpe sticks with sprints
Date: August 9 2005

By Stathi Paxinos

Olympic and world champion Ian Thorpe is likely to drop the 400 metres
freestyle from his Commonwealth Games itinerary as he continues his
focus on taking on the sprinting world, coach Tracey Menzies said
yesterday.

Menzies said Thorpe, who aims to return to competition in December,
felt mentally burnt out by the 400m freestyle, especially after the
dramatic lead-up to last year's Athens Olympics, and he wanted a break
from the event he has dominated since the 1998 world championships.

Thorpe was disqualified from the 400m for a false start at the Olympic
trials and only raced in Athens after teammate Craig Stevens offered
Thorpe his spot.

Menzies said Thorpe might even consider replacing the 400m with the 50m
freestyle in Melbourne next year.

"He just wants a bit of a break from it," she said. "I think you need
to find new stimulants and a new love in what you are doing, and the
break has probably been a good thing for him."

Menzies said Thorpe had been eyeing the challenge of the 100m
freestyle, which would be one of the genuine world-class events at the
Commonwealth Games, with the field including South African world
championship silver- and bronze-medallists Roland Schoeman and Ryk
Neethling.

"I think he was in awe at how fast they were going at the worlds [in
Montreal]," she said.

Menzies conceded that Thorpe could find it difficult to return to the
400m freestyle - an event that requires different training to the
sprints - especially if his times in the 100m continued to improve. He
has already won a Commonwealth Games gold as well as Olympic and world
bronze medals in the event.

Thorpe has been back in training since early this year and aims to
return for the NSW titles.

Sydney Morning Herald
August 9

Are you saying there's no way for him to increase his turnover? It
won't be easy, but with training, stroke monitors, etc. he could do it.
He's been fishing around for another event for awhile. He played
around with 200m IM - then Michael lowered the boom and made it pretty
obvious Thorpe needs to look elsewhere if he wants another challenge.

Eric

Good point - Ryk Neethling is a good example of someone who's basically
been word class in just about every freestyle distance there is, at one
time or another. Granted, he doesn't play at Thorpe's level, but he's
the poster child for the possibilities of adaptability IMHO.

- Al

No, I saying that it the change required to his stroke would be too
substantial to achieve soon. He has been working on improving his
turnover for the 100 for a few years now, and it is still a little too
slow.

Quoted message said:

Are you saying there's no way for him to increase his turnover? It
won't be easy, but with training, stroke monitors, etc. he could do it.
He's been fishing around for another event for awhile. He played
around with 200m IM - then Michael lowered the boom and made it pretty
obvious Thorpe needs to look elsewhere if he wants another challenge.

Eric

Well, that's kind of the point, right? That it's going to take time
and effort. He needs something to justify staring at that black line
along the bottom of the pool for the next three years other than
winning yet another 400m freestyle race. So if he drops the 400, and
concentrates on speed work alone - well I think Phelps and anyone else
will have a hard time beating him in the 200m because he should get
faster in that race as well.

ERic

My comment was about the 50 not the 200. A higher turnover won't help
his 200.

Quoted message said:

Well, that's kind of the point, right? That it's going to take time
and effort. He needs something to justify staring at that black line
along the bottom of the pool for the next three years other than
winning yet another 400m freestyle race. So if he drops the 400, and
concentrates on speed work alone - well I think Phelps and anyone else
will have a hard time beating him in the 200m because he should get
faster in that race as well.

ERic

The English speaking announcer at the World Championships, as at the
Olympics, was Peter Graham of South Australia. He will probably also be
announcing at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games next year and the
Melbourne World Championships in 2007.