SYDNEY, Nov 21: Australians and admirers around the world saluted champion swimmer Ian Thorpe's decision on Tuesday to end his record-breaking career at the age of 24.

Thorpe's announcement, which was covered live by several television networks and led news bulletins around Australia, came after he said he had realised there was more to life than swimming.

Known as “Thorpedo”, he lifted his sport's profile and constantly raised the bar through his sublime swimming technique and striking physique, which earned him astonishing success.

He stands in the pantheon as one of the greatest swimmers in Olympic history, winning five gold medals over two Games, the most by an Australian, 11 world titles and 13 individual world records.

Magnificently built and admired for his powerful grace in the water, he was the pin-up of the 2000 Sydney Olympics and later had a catwalk modelling stint for Armani.

He was often seen in the company of celebrities and he was an eloquent spokesman for his sport and on other issues.

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates led the accolades, saying Thorpe's legacy would be long-lasting.

“In fifty years from now Australians will still marvel at the feats of Ian Thorpe,” said Coates.

“He has been a great champion, a great inspiration for young Australians and a fine ambassador for his country.”

Dawn Fraser, the only Australian to win gold in the same event at three successive Olympic Games, wished Thorpe would continue to the 2008 Beijing Olympics to match her feat but understood his decision to quit.

“He rates as the greatest swimmer in the world as far as freestyle swimming is concerned,” said Fraser.

American superstar Michael Phelps praised Thorpe for raising the interest in swimming worldwide, acknowledging his rival as “an inspiration and a terrific champion”.

After facing injury, illness and questions about his motivation ahead of Beijing, Thorpe said a training stint in Los Angeles this year had focused his mind on his future as a man, rather than as a swimmer.

“As I got fit physically my mind also got fit, I started asking a lot of questions. I started looking at myself not only as a swimmer but as a person,” he told a news conference here on Tuesday.“Another way to look at it is you can swim lap after lap staring at a black line and all of a sudden you look up and see what's around you. That's what it feels like to me.” Thorpe, who stands 195 cm tall and has massive, flipper-sized 17 feet, won three gold and two silver medals at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 when he was just 17.

He went on to win two Olympic golds in Athens in 2004, in his favoured 200 and 400 metres freestyle, and over his career broke an astonishing total of 13 world records.—AFP