World Olympic legend, Ian Thorpe has shared the reason he didn’t want to come out as gay during the height of his swimming career.

The Olympian, 41, who came out in 2014. told The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday that he kept his sexuality hidden because he didn’t want any ‘distractions’ from his sporting career in the early 2000s.

‘I had to swim in the Olympics and had to win. I did not want anything to be a distraction for me. I don’t want people talking about this,’ he said.

Ian Thorpe

‘So every time it is alluded you may be gay, you’re thinking of it as a negative thing and as a young person you make it bigger than it needs to be. So I answered no.’

Thorpe then said he regretted concealing his sexuality for so long because it made the process of coming out feel much more confronting.

‘I’m comfortable saying I’m a gay man. 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 an episode of This Is Your Life in 2022 that he decided to speak out about his sexuality because he was finally ‘comfortable’.

‘I was always doing this interview with Sir Michael Parkinson. I had just come out to my family and to my very very closest friends,’ Ian told host Melissa Doyle.

‘I had spent some time with [Sir Michael Parkinson] before the interview and told him, “You should ask me if I’m gay because I’m going to tell you I am”.’

Ian continued: ‘I needed to say it. It was the first time I felt I was comfortable enough to put myself out there. It was important for me to be my authentic self.’

At the time, the athlete declared: ‘I’ve thought about this for a long time. I’m not straight. And this is only something that very recently – in the past two weeks – I’ve been comfortable telling the closest people around me exactly that.’

The Sydney native was first asked about his sexuality at 16 years old and said he didn’t know at that stage but ‘was still gay at the end of the day.’

‘Yes, I lied about it. I’m now comfortable saying I’m a gay man.’

He also said he wished he’d come out earlier as his family and friends were supportive of him.