Thorpe must decide soon on international swimming comeback plans: Coach
By ANITuesday, February 1, 2011
MELBOURNE - The manager of Australia’s greatest Olympian, Ian Thorpe, has said that the latter will need to make up his mind about a comeback “pretty quickly” as speculation builds over a tilt at the London Olympics next year.
David Flaskas said Thorpe had not given him any indication that he would make a stunning return to international swimming.
According to the Brisbane Times and the Sydney Morning Herald, the five-time Olympic gold medallist had been tipped to make an “imminent” announcement about contesting the 2012 Games selection trials.
The rumour mill had gone into overdrive in recent months since Thorpe, 28, was spotted training in a Sydney pool and Australian head coach Leigh Nugent confirmed Thorpe had been in regular contact.
“He knows if he is serious about competitive swimming, he needs to make a decision pretty quickly,” Flaskas was quoted, as saying.
He added: “From the response we are getting I think everyone would like it [a comeback] to happen, but I am not picking the phone up. When Ian is ready to make a call either way we will deal with it then.” (ANI)
