Olympics sports star seen in wheelchair after 'serious and painful' accident while filming reality TV show

Olympics sports star Ian Thorpe has been seen in a wheelchair after suffering a “serious and painful” injury while filming a reality TV show.

Thorpe, aged 41, won five Olympic gold medals during his swimming career, which spanned more than 20 years, and he became a household name.

The Australian swimmer suffered the injury while shooting a reality TV show, which meant he needed to use a wheelchair to get in and out of the Brisbane Aquatic Centre, where he is doing broadcast work for the Paris trials, according to 7News.

The nature of Thorpe’s injury has not been revealed. Reporter Chris Reason reassured fans, however, that Thorpe is doing well. He said: “We're told Ian Thorpe is completely OK, but apparently the injury was a serious and painful one.”

Thorpe is believed to have been injured while filming Celebrity Amazing Race on Wednesday (June 12), where he teamed up with childhood friend Christian Miranda.

Thorpe specialised in freestyle during his swimming career, but also competed in backstroke and the individual medley. He has won five Olympic gold medals, the most won by any Australian along with fellow swimmer Emma McKeon. With three gold and two silver medals, Thorpe was the most successful athlete at the 2000 Summer Olympics, held in his hometown of Sydney.

At the age of 14, Thorpe became the youngest male ever to represent Australia, and his victory in the 400 metre freestyle at the 1998 Perth World Championships made him the youngest-ever individual male World Champion.

In total, Thorpe has won eleven World Championship gold medals; this is the fifth-highest number of gold medals won by any male swimmer. He was also the first person to have been named Swimming World Swimmer of the Year four times, and was the Australian Swimmer of the Year from 1999 to 2003.

After his retirement from swimming, Thorpe made his name in the television industry. He presented a two-part television documentary called Bullied on ABC Television in 2017, using hidden-camera footage to give a victim's-eye-view of bullying.

In 2021, Thorpe competed in the second series of Celebrity MasterChef Australia. He has also written two cookbooks, Cook For Your Life (2011) and Eat Well Now (2016).