Ian Thorpe is an Australian Olympic swimmer who dominated freestyle events, a five-time Olympic gold medalist, and a celebrated public figure. After becoming the youngest male ever to represent Australia in 1997, Ian Thorpe went on to establish himself as one of the most dominant swimmers in history. His early career saw him captain New South Wales for the Australian Primary Schools Championships in 1994, quickly progressing to significant achievements in national age championships by 1995. In 1998, at the World Aquatics Championships in Perth, Thorpe became the youngest-ever individual male World Champion in the 400m freestyle at 15 years and 3 months.

That same year, at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, he secured four gold medals and broke a world record in the 4x200m freestyle relay, earning him ‘Swimming World’ Swimmer of the Year honors. His performance at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics was historic, capturing three gold and two silver medals while setting world records in the 400m freestyle and both the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays. Thorpe continued his unparalleled success at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships, becoming the first person to win six gold medals at a single World Championship. During this period, he simultaneously held world records in the 200m, 400m, and 800m freestyle events.

His significant contributions to both sport and society have been widely acknowledged, including being named Young Australian of the Year in 2000 and advanced to Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2019, cementing his legacy as a celebrated public figure.