Australia refuses to believe the Great Thorpedo may have erred. By william langley |
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With his freakish physique and unparalleled haul of records, super-swimmer Ian Thorpe, Australia's greatest sporting hero, has long been dogged by suspicion. Two years ago, the question was asked outright: was he gay?
Not me, huffed the 16-stone Thorpedo, and Australia's, shall we say, traditionalist, sports fans sighed with relief. The metrosexual preening, dainty manners and penchant for designing pearl necklaces, were just part of the package. Even when Thorpe abandoned Sydney to live beachside in Los Angeles, the Aussies took his word that he was merely seeking an escape from fame.
Now 24-year-old Thorpe, recently retired as the greatest swimmer in history, faces another credibility test. Damien Ressiot, a journalist with the respected French sports paper L’Equipe, has reported that a urine sample submitted by Thorpe 10 months ago
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| Australia has decided that good old Thorpey has been stitched up by the French |
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had shown exceptionally high levels of testosterone, which, while naturally produced by the body, can be administered artificially to help build bulk and muscle. "A stunned nation must now contemplate the unimaginable," reported the Adelaide Advertiser, "that its greatest-ever Olympian is a drug cheat."
Australia duly contemplated for five seconds before deciding that good old Thorpey had been stitched up by the French. Pundits darkly pointed out that the same journalist had made unproven allegations against Lance Armstrong, six-times winner of the Tour de France. Even the prime minister, John Howard, weighed in: "As far as I'm concerned, until solid evidence to the contrary is produced, Ian Thorpe remains a great Australian champion."
There is, of course, some justification in this approach. Yet Australia - as witness the Shane Warne scandal of 2003 - has shown a peculiarly indulgent approach to the drug transgressions of its sporting favourites. While the inquiry continues, the country is right behind Thorpe. And no one is asking about his marriage plans.
FIRST POSTED APRIL 2, 2007
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