Thorpe’s reputation on line

RETURNING superstar Ian Thorpe admits he risks tarnishing his legacy after deciding to resume his swimming career following a four-year lay-off.

Thorpe, who won nine Olympic medals including five gold before walking away from the sport at the age of 24 in 2006, announced his much-anticipated return at a chaotic press conference in Sydney yesterday.

The 28-year-old confirmed he has been back in training since September and is targeting a berth on the 100m and 200m freestyle relay teams in the 2012 London Games.

“I’ve had an almost flawless career and I put that at risk,” Thorpe said.

“It would have been a lot easier to sit on that and not do a thing. But I still have a desire that there’s things in swimming that I haven’t done that I would like to achieve”.

Thorpe admits he “lost all of the enjoyment in what I was doing in the pool” but says his love affair with the sport is once again in full bloom.

Thorpe says he has five kilograms to lose to get down to race weight.

Under FINA regulations, competitors must be registered for drug testing for at least nine months before returning to competitive swimming, meaning Thorpe is most likely to make his return at a World Cup event in November.