The world was forever changed 22 years ago when tragedy struck the World Trade Center in New York. Even swimming legend Ian Thorpe narrowly escaped being a victim of the attacks.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Ian Thorpe happened to be in the city and had plans to visit the World Trade Center (WTC) when the first plane hit.
As he went for an early morning run and headed towards the WTC’s observation deck, he suddenly realized that he had left his camera behind. He hurried back to his hotel room to retrieve it, just as the attacks unfolded.
According to Compete Network, Thorpe said, “I went down there on the morning of 9/11. It was early in the morning and I went for a run. I grabbed a coffee and walked back to my hotel room, and literally in that period of time the planes hit. It was a very, very close call.”
He added, “I had a friend, Michelle, who was staying with me. She was the one who was going to get up and go for a run. I was telling her to wake me up because we were going to go to the World Trade Center together.
“I said we could go up the World Trade Center in the morning and then you do the Empire State Building at night. But in the end, I was the one that went down there. With things like that, you realize it’s fate. Some things were meant to be, and I realize I am very lucky.”
At the time of the incident, the then-18-year-old Thorpe was in New York to pursue his interests in fashion and to talk about his recent swimming achievements, including his appearance on The Jay Leno Show.
Just a couple of months prior, he had delivered a remarkable performance at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, where he won six gold medals, set four world records, and demonstrated his dominance in events such as the men’s 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle, 800 freestyle, and Australia’s 800 freestyle relay.
This exceptional performance followed his memorable Olympic debut in Sydney, where he secured gold in the men’s 400 freestyle, played an instrumental role in propelling the Australian men’s 400 freestyle relay to victory, and claimed another gold in the 800 freestyle relay. He also earned silver medals in the 200 freestyle and 400 medley relay.
Following his near miss on September 11, 2001, Thorpe continued to enjoy success in the world of swimming. One of his noteworthy achievements came at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, where he triumphed in the exhilarating “Race of the Century” in the men’s 200 freestyle, surpassing defending champion Pieter van den Hoogenband and American sensation Michael Phelps. He also defended his title in the 400 freestyle with a close victory over fellow Australian Grant Hackett.
Thorpe went on to claim three more World Championship titles in 2003 and set a world record of 3:40.08 in the 400 freestyle at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, a record that was narrowly surpassed in 2009. To this day, his time remains the fastest in history in a textile suit.
After withdrawing from the Commonwealth Games in 2006 due to bronchitis, Thorpe retired from swimming. He attempted a comeback in 2011 with hopes of competing in the 2012 Olympics in London, but fell short at the Australian Olympic Trials.
Since retiring, Thorpe has made a positive impact as an advocate for same-sex marriage in Australia and has been open about his struggles with depression and the challenges he faced as a gay athlete. In 2017, he presented a two-part documentary shedding light on the devastating effects of bullying.
According to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the September 11 attacks resulted in the loss of 2,977 lives across New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.
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