Olympic swimming champion Ian Thorpe's retirement at 24, still
sending shockwaves around his home country Australia, was felt
strongly in China which stands to lose one of the great box office
draws for the 2008 Games.
The news was enough to knock NBA sensation Yao Ming and the Chinese
men's volleyball team from the sporting headlines on Wednesday,
with state newspapers devoting near page-long tributes to the
hugely popular swimmer.
"Thorpedo Stops Launching!" the Beijing Youth Daily proclaimed
in a banner headline jammed against a near full-scale image of
Thorpe's unshaven face grinning wryly at a camera.
"Goodbye to the Flying Thorpedo -- Thorpe Retires and Embarks
Upon a Beautiful and Unknown Path," a headline on China news Web
site Sina.com read.
In an emotional tribute titled "The Fish That Would No Longer
Swim," the Beijing News lamented that Thorpe was too young to bid
farewell.
"His departure is cruel, and leaves people in anguish. This
young man dubbed 'Thorpedo,' known to people as the 'big-footed
wonder,' won five Olympic golds and broke 13 world records."
China central television showed pictures of Thorpe walking down
catwalks at fashion shows and flirting with three-times Australian
Open tennis champion Martina Hingis.
Thorpe, who drew screaming fans on a promotional visit to China
in 2004, will miss Beijing in 2008 and a genuine tilt at being the
first male swimmer to win gold at three consecutive Olympic Games
after announcing his retirement on Tuesday.
(Reuters November 23, 2006)