Ian Thorpe was born in Sydney, Australia, into a middle class family. Growing up, he played a lot of sports, but eventually decided to focus on swimming. His hard work paid off when he qualified for the 2000 Olympics, where he won 5 medals. In his entire swimming career, he won 9 medals, including 5 Golds, and is one of the most successful male swimmers ever.
During his life, Thorpe has struggled with depression and anxiety, as well as alcohol addiction. After his swimming career ended, Thorpe started drinking, and started dealing with bouts of anxiety and depression. Thorpe overcame his struggles though, and is doing great today.
Thorpe has been open about his struggles with addiction and mental health, doing interviews and speaking on social media about the importance of treating addiction and mental health. He is a great inspiration to everybody dealing with depression, anxiety, or addiction.
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