A photo of Ian Thorpe in a wheelchair has sparked concern for the Olympic legend after he suffered a ‘serious and painful’ injury while filming for a reality TV show.
However, the 41-year-old swimmer put an end to those worries on Saturday when he was spotted at Sydney International Airport walking unassisted and handling his own luggage.
The five-time Olympic gold medalist checked in for his flight without any assistance.
Thorpe dressed casually for the flight, opting for a plain navy blue T-shirt paired with matching trousers.
He completed his relaxed look with black and white sneakers and glasses.
A photo of Ian Thorpe, 41, (pictured) in a wheelchair sparked concern for the Olympic legend after he suffered a ‘serious and painful’ injury while filming for a reality TV show
According to 7News, Thorpe suffered a “serious and painful” injury while filming a reality TV show, requiring him to use a wheelchair to get in and out of the Brisbane Aquatic Center, where he does broadcast work for the Paris trials.
“We’re told Ian Thorpe is completely fine, but apparently the injury was serious and painful,” Seven’s Chris Reason said.
Thorpe is said to have suffered the injury while filming Celebrity Amazing Race, where he worked with childhood friend Christian Miranda.
However, the swimmer put those concerns to rest on Saturday when he was spotted at Sydney International Airport walking unassisted and handling his own luggage.
The five-time Olympic gold medalist checked in for his flight without any assistance
Thorpe dressed casually for the flight, opting for a plain navy blue T-shirt paired with matching trousers
The swimming legend was a leading voice for gay rights in sports and came out as gay in 2014.
He kept his sexuality hidden during his professional career because he didn’t want any “distraction” from the competition.
‘I had to swim the Olympics and had to win. I didn’t want anything to be a distraction for me. I don’t want people talking about this,” he said earlier this year.
“So every time it’s hinted that you might be gay, you take it as something negative and as a young person you make it bigger than it needs to be. So I answered no.”
He completed his relaxed look with black and white sneakers and glasses
According to 7News, Thorpe suffered a “serious and painful” injury while filming a reality TV show, requiring him to use a wheelchair to get in and out of the Brisbane Aquatic Center, where he does broadcast work for the Paris trials.
“We’re told Ian Thorpe is completely fine, but apparently the injury was serious and painful,” Seven’s Chris Reason said.
Thorpe said he regretted hiding his sexuality for so long because it made the process of coming out much more confrontational.
‘I like to say that I am homosexual. And I don’t want people to feel the same way I did. You can grow up, you can be comfortable and you can be gay.”
The five-time Olympic gold medalist came out as gay during an interview with respected English television presenter Sir Michael Parkinson in July 2014.
The athlete later revealed during a 2022 episode of This Is Your Life that he decided to speak out about his sexuality because he finally felt “comfortable.”
Thorpe is said to have suffered the injury while filming Celebrity Amazing Race
He worked on the program with childhood friend Christian Miranda
