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Sydney - Five-time Olympic freestyle champion Ian Thorpe announced his return to swimming for the 2012 London Games on Wednesday, saying he could "actually taste" his desire to compete.
"Ian Thorpe is very much back," said John Borghetti of sponsor Virgin Blue, opening a joint press conference with Thorpe.
"He registered this morning with the international drug testing register and he's planning to win lots of gold at the 2012 Olympics."
Australia's most decorated Olympian, Thorpe said he decided to return to the sport back in September and started training on the sly, using eight different pools to dodge suspicion and telling friends to "lie through their teeth" about his plans.
Touring the "extraordinary" Olympic swimming venue in London sealed his decision, he said.
"I could actually taste it - I haven't felt like swimming like that for a very long time."
He sketched out a plan for his comeback with sports psychologist Deirdre Anderson, who helped counsel him through his 2006 retirement, and was secretly trained via text message by Australia's team coach Leigh Nugent.
Thorpe was so determined to minimise the pressure on himself he didn't tell his family until just a few weeks ago, and Nugent supervised his training just once in the four months.
"It hasn't been something that I have taken lightly, making a decision to return to competitive swimming," Thorpe told reporters.
"I never thought this would happen. I never thought that I'd be swimming in a competitive way again."
"I'm very glad that I am. I'm glad I spent four years away from the pool. I needed those four years," added Thorpe, 28.
Nicknamed "Thorpedo", the imposing freestyler retired from swimming in November 2006 aged 24 after a decade in the sport, following a long period of illness and introspection.
Thorpe said he was coming back as a "slightly more mature" person and said he was being driven by a desire "to be able to perform again", not the lure of sponsorship money.
He said his focus would be on swimming the relay for Australia - an event in which he famously broke the American stranglehold and bagged gold at the Sydney 2000 Olympics - over both 100 and 200 metres.
Thorpe said he did not believe he had enough time to prepare for the 400 metres, his favourite event, but would instead train as a sprinter, something he said "may surprise a lot of people".
Sporting a deep tan, the self-effacing Thorpe seemed at ease with the huge press contingent, joking that contesting another Olympics was on his list of must-dos before he turned 30, along with joining a rock band and becoming a pilot.
"This seemed the most realistic," he laughed.
He refused to detail what times he was clocking, saying only that he had lost 5kg and was "swimming faster than when I begun, which is a very good sign because I was actually pretty bad."
Thorpe would not be drawn on his famed rivalry with the United States' Michael Phelps, always the major threat in his competitive past.
"You say there's a rivalry, I think of the American team as my friends as well. We wish them well, but not too well, (that) can be the official message."
Nugent said Thorpe would have to wait nine months before he'd be cleared by doping authorities to compete, meaning he would have just five months to hone himself against other swimmers before the Olympic trials next March.
His first overseas tournament is likely to be a FINA World Cup event in November, with his first Australian contest to be the following month.
"Ian looks to be in pretty good shape, and I know he’s been enjoying being back in the water," Nugent said.
"We know he is an outstanding athlete, and with application and commitment he will make a success of this comeback."
Thorpe plans to do most of his training in Abu Dhabi and Europe ahead of the London Olympic trials and acknowledged there was a long road ahead.
"It's big, it's enormous, but I'm prepared," he said.
"I've had an almost flawless career and I've put that at risk. It would have been a lot easier to sit on that and not do a thing but I still have a desire, there's things in swimming that I haven't done that I would like to achieve."
Five-time Olympic champion Thorpe won 11 world titles and set 13 long-course records before announcing his retirement from swimming in November 2006 after 10 years on the Australian team, saying he had lost the desire to compete.
His 400m freestyle world record, set at the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games, is still just 1/100th of a second behind the current record, which was achieved with a banned bodysuit at the 2009 world championships in Rome.
Factbox on Australian Olympic legend Ian Thorpe, who on Wednesday announced his return to competitive swimming hoping to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.
Born: October 13, 1982
Olympic medal tally: Five gold, three silver, one bronze
Commonwealth medal tally: 10 gold, one silver
World championship medal tally: 11 gold, one silver, one bronze
World records: Current holder of the 400m freestyle long course Olympic record. Set 13 individual long course world records in his career
1988: Takes up swimming at age five
1996: Wins five titles at national age championships
1997: Becomes youngest male swimmer to make an Australian senior team when picked for the Pan Pacific Championships in Japan, aged 14 years and five months
1998: At 15 becomes youngest men's world champion in swimming history when he beats Grant Hackett to win 400m title in Perth. Thorpe has never been beaten over eight laps since
-- Collects four gold medals at the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games as well as his first world record as a member of the 4x200m relay
1999: Breaks Kieren Perkins' five-year-old 400m world record by almost two seconds at Pan Pacific Championships in Sydney, breaks Hackett's 200m world mark the next day, lowers it the following day and helps the 4x200m relay team break its world record a day later.
2000: Breaks his 400m world record and twice lowers 200m world record at the national Olympic trials
-- Wins three gold and two silver medals at the Sydney Olympics at age 17. Breaks his 400m world record on opening night and wins second gold 80 minutes later when he anchors 4x100m relay win from USA. Wins third gold in 4x200m relay and silver in the 200m, behind Pieter van den Hoogenband, and medley relay
2001: Claims the 800m freestyle world record and breaks his 200m record at the national championships, also winning 100m and 400m
-- Breaks world records in the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle and wins record six gold medals at the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan
2002: Wins six gold medals at the Manchester Commonwealth Games and breaks 400m world record with time of 3:40.08, a mark felled by Germany's Paul Biedermann (3:40.07) amid swimsuit controversy at the 2009 Rome championships
-- Splits with coach Doug Frost and joins Tracey Menzies
2003: Becomes first swimmer to win the same event at three world titles when he wins the 400m in Barcelona. Also wins 200m and the 4x200m relay
2004: False start drama when Thorpe falls off the blocks at the Olympic trials and is later given the Games 400m berth by friend Craig Stevens
-- Becomes Australia's most successful Olympian as he wins the 400m and 200m in Athens, beating Van den Hoogenband and Michael Phelps in 200m called the "Race of the Century". Also takes silver in 4x200m relay and a bronze in the 100m
2005: Skips Montreal world championships as he takes a year off following Athens.
2006: Qualifies for Melbourne Commonwealth Games but pulls out after contracting glandular fever. Breaks his hand and moves to Los Angeles to resume training, dogged by rumours of waning motivation.
-- Formally retires from swimming on November 21
2011: Announces a return to the competitive circuit hoping to represent Australia in the men's 100m and 200m relays at the 2012 London Olympics
"Ian Thorpe is very much back," said John Borghetti of sponsor Virgin Blue, opening a joint press conference with Thorpe.
"He registered this morning with the international drug testing register and he's planning to win lots of gold at the 2012 Olympics."
Australia's most decorated Olympian, Thorpe said he decided to return to the sport back in September and started training on the sly, using eight different pools to dodge suspicion and telling friends to "lie through their teeth" about his plans.
Touring the "extraordinary" Olympic swimming venue in London sealed his decision, he said.
"I could actually taste it - I haven't felt like swimming like that for a very long time."
He sketched out a plan for his comeback with sports psychologist Deirdre Anderson, who helped counsel him through his 2006 retirement, and was secretly trained via text message by Australia's team coach Leigh Nugent.
Thorpe was so determined to minimise the pressure on himself he didn't tell his family until just a few weeks ago, and Nugent supervised his training just once in the four months.
"It hasn't been something that I have taken lightly, making a decision to return to competitive swimming," Thorpe told reporters.
"I never thought this would happen. I never thought that I'd be swimming in a competitive way again."
"I'm very glad that I am. I'm glad I spent four years away from the pool. I needed those four years," added Thorpe, 28.
Nicknamed "Thorpedo", the imposing freestyler retired from swimming in November 2006 aged 24 after a decade in the sport, following a long period of illness and introspection.
Thorpe said he was coming back as a "slightly more mature" person and said he was being driven by a desire "to be able to perform again", not the lure of sponsorship money.
He said his focus would be on swimming the relay for Australia - an event in which he famously broke the American stranglehold and bagged gold at the Sydney 2000 Olympics - over both 100 and 200 metres.
Thorpe said he did not believe he had enough time to prepare for the 400 metres, his favourite event, but would instead train as a sprinter, something he said "may surprise a lot of people".
Sporting a deep tan, the self-effacing Thorpe seemed at ease with the huge press contingent, joking that contesting another Olympics was on his list of must-dos before he turned 30, along with joining a rock band and becoming a pilot.
"This seemed the most realistic," he laughed.
He refused to detail what times he was clocking, saying only that he had lost 5kg and was "swimming faster than when I begun, which is a very good sign because I was actually pretty bad."
Thorpe would not be drawn on his famed rivalry with the United States' Michael Phelps, always the major threat in his competitive past.
"You say there's a rivalry, I think of the American team as my friends as well. We wish them well, but not too well, (that) can be the official message."
Nugent said Thorpe would have to wait nine months before he'd be cleared by doping authorities to compete, meaning he would have just five months to hone himself against other swimmers before the Olympic trials next March.
His first overseas tournament is likely to be a FINA World Cup event in November, with his first Australian contest to be the following month.
"Ian looks to be in pretty good shape, and I know he’s been enjoying being back in the water," Nugent said.
"We know he is an outstanding athlete, and with application and commitment he will make a success of this comeback."
Thorpe plans to do most of his training in Abu Dhabi and Europe ahead of the London Olympic trials and acknowledged there was a long road ahead.
"It's big, it's enormous, but I'm prepared," he said.
"I've had an almost flawless career and I've put that at risk. It would have been a lot easier to sit on that and not do a thing but I still have a desire, there's things in swimming that I haven't done that I would like to achieve."
Five-time Olympic champion Thorpe won 11 world titles and set 13 long-course records before announcing his retirement from swimming in November 2006 after 10 years on the Australian team, saying he had lost the desire to compete.
His 400m freestyle world record, set at the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games, is still just 1/100th of a second behind the current record, which was achieved with a banned bodysuit at the 2009 world championships in Rome.
Factbox on Australian Olympic legend Ian Thorpe, who on Wednesday announced his return to competitive swimming hoping to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics.
Born: October 13, 1982
Olympic medal tally: Five gold, three silver, one bronze
Commonwealth medal tally: 10 gold, one silver
World championship medal tally: 11 gold, one silver, one bronze
World records: Current holder of the 400m freestyle long course Olympic record. Set 13 individual long course world records in his career
1988: Takes up swimming at age five
1996: Wins five titles at national age championships
1997: Becomes youngest male swimmer to make an Australian senior team when picked for the Pan Pacific Championships in Japan, aged 14 years and five months
1998: At 15 becomes youngest men's world champion in swimming history when he beats Grant Hackett to win 400m title in Perth. Thorpe has never been beaten over eight laps since
-- Collects four gold medals at the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games as well as his first world record as a member of the 4x200m relay
1999: Breaks Kieren Perkins' five-year-old 400m world record by almost two seconds at Pan Pacific Championships in Sydney, breaks Hackett's 200m world mark the next day, lowers it the following day and helps the 4x200m relay team break its world record a day later.
2000: Breaks his 400m world record and twice lowers 200m world record at the national Olympic trials
-- Wins three gold and two silver medals at the Sydney Olympics at age 17. Breaks his 400m world record on opening night and wins second gold 80 minutes later when he anchors 4x100m relay win from USA. Wins third gold in 4x200m relay and silver in the 200m, behind Pieter van den Hoogenband, and medley relay
2001: Claims the 800m freestyle world record and breaks his 200m record at the national championships, also winning 100m and 400m
-- Breaks world records in the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle and wins record six gold medals at the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan
2002: Wins six gold medals at the Manchester Commonwealth Games and breaks 400m world record with time of 3:40.08, a mark felled by Germany's Paul Biedermann (3:40.07) amid swimsuit controversy at the 2009 Rome championships
-- Splits with coach Doug Frost and joins Tracey Menzies
2003: Becomes first swimmer to win the same event at three world titles when he wins the 400m in Barcelona. Also wins 200m and the 4x200m relay
2004: False start drama when Thorpe falls off the blocks at the Olympic trials and is later given the Games 400m berth by friend Craig Stevens
-- Becomes Australia's most successful Olympian as he wins the 400m and 200m in Athens, beating Van den Hoogenband and Michael Phelps in 200m called the "Race of the Century". Also takes silver in 4x200m relay and a bronze in the 100m
2005: Skips Montreal world championships as he takes a year off following Athens.
2006: Qualifies for Melbourne Commonwealth Games but pulls out after contracting glandular fever. Breaks his hand and moves to Los Angeles to resume training, dogged by rumours of waning motivation.
-- Formally retires from swimming on November 21
2011: Announces a return to the competitive circuit hoping to represent Australia in the men's 100m and 200m relays at the 2012 London Olympics
