Australian Olympic swimming superstar Ian Thorpe has announced his retirement from a record-breaking competitive career.

"As of 2:53 on Sunday afternoon I decided that I would not be swimming the world championships (next year)," Thorpe told a news conference.

"I also made another very difficult decision -- I decided that I was actually going to discontinue my professional swimming career."

Thorpe, 24, who won nine Olympic medals and 13 world championship medals, has gone through troubled times this year with injury and illness and questions about his motivation.

The swimming superstar has not competed at a major international meet since the 2004 Athens Olympics, with his bid to come back following a year out of competition ravaged by illness and injury.

He was ruled out of the Melbourne Commonwealth Games last March because of glandular fever and he has struggled to shake off the energy-sapping illness.

Thorpe -- dubbed the Thorpedo -- won five Olympic gold medals, three in Sydney in 2000 when he was just 17, and two in Athens in 2004.

He will now miss the 2008 Beijing games.
 
(AFP November 21, 2006)