The Wire

Australian fans of Olympic swimming star Ian Thorpe were disappointed to learn this week of his early retirement at the tender age of 24. Thorpe has won gold medals at the Sydney and Athens Olympics and was said to be in peak form at US training camps this year. But the super fish called it quits after reaching dizzying heights in the sport, saying his lack of motivation was pushing him to try other things. So what leads an elite athlete to quit their career out of the blue? Dr Michael Martin is a psychologist at the Australian Institute of Sport. Alex Parry asked him what his reaction was to Thorpe’s announcement this week, and how athletes function in the extreme pressure-cooker environment of major competitions.