Grant Hackett has dismissed speculation that his fellow countryman Ian Thorpe will come out of retirement to compete in the Beijing Olympics next year. Hackett was responding to comments made by Micheal Phelps earlier this month.
When asked about the possibilities of a Thorpe comeback, Hackett told China Daily reports…
“He won’t be competing. He’s got closure from the sport now, he’s happy with what he’s been able to achieve,”
“It would be great to have him there, he is irreplaceable in the team. I know someone like Michael Phelps would love to get up against him in the 200m freestyle, compete against him again.
“Ian kind of beat him last time and he’s always wanted to compete against him again.”
Thorpe made the decision to retire in November and recently had drug doping allegations made against him. Thorpe has strongly denied these accusations and is working hard to clear his name.
“The drug allegations really hurt [Thorpe] personally, people tried to tarnish the things he achieved,” Hackett told China Daily
“That’s been difficult for him. Personally he felt those effects, but at end of the day he turned a negative result.
“They are allegations, they don’t have any substance. It’s part of sport and I’d like to see drug testing move forward. You just hope if you do perform well it isn’t overshadowed by something like that.”