Michael Phelps may be within reach of superstardom in the United States, but even a fistful of gold medals is unlikely to earn him, say, a contract to launch his own line of underwear.
Australians adore their top swimmers, and they're happy to buy fashion-forward underwear from Ian Thorpe, who was 17 when he won three golds and two silvers at the 2000 Games in his hometown of Sydney. Now 21, the 6-foot-5 "Thorpedo" is likely to wrest some of the spotlight from Phelps, who is entered in eight events in his quest to match or surpass Mark Spitz's record of seven golds in one Olympics.
Barring a major upset, the two will collide on Day 3 in Athens, when Phelps, Thorpe, fellow Australian Grant Hackett and the Netherlands' Pieter van den Hoogenband meet in what is expected to be the fastest 200-meter freestyle final in history.
Phelps needs to win the 200 free if he wants to unseat Spitz, but the race will be Thorpe's to lose. Thorpe holds the world record, is defending world champion and has the fastest time in the 200 free this year. Hackett is ranked No. 2 in the world and Phelps No. 3. Fourth-ranked van den Hoogenband also has a shot: He edged Thorpe for a surprising gold in Sydney and won silver at worlds last year.
Thorpe will compete in six events in Athens, including three relay events. But he almost didn't get a chance to defend his Olympic title in the 400 free. A false start led to Thorpe's disqualification in the Australian Trials in March. After mounting public pressure, Craig Stevens gave up his spot in the 400 and it was awarded to Thorpe.
HE CAN HACKETT: He will no doubt get some attention as a potential spoiler for Phelps and Thorpe in the 200, but Hackett is a distance swimmer above all else. A second Olympic gold for him in the 1,500 free is almost a given; he holds the world record and has dominated every major 1,500 since 1999. He last lost the event at age 15 at the 1996 Australian Trials.
Hackett, 24, also is a threat to medal in the 200 and 400 freestyles, which he couldn't pull off in Sydney. He is ranked No. 1 in the world in the 400. His medal haul of three golds, a silver and a bronze at last year's worlds was surpassed only by Phelps.
Despite his dominance and versatility, Hackett has spent his career overshadowed by Thorpe and Kieren Perkins, who won gold in the 1,500 free in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. Hackett beat Perkins in Sydney and shattered his 1,500 world record in 2001, but has not been embraced by Aussies the way his predecessor was think Brooke Bennett succeeding Janet Evans as America's distance queen and constantly is fighting Thorpe for attention.
Hackett takes it in stride, saying he is happy to have a chance to compete in the 200 free and take on Thorpe in the 400. "(I'm) a lot more prepared this time around, mentally and physically," he said.
NICE RICE: If Kosuke Kitajima can find a way to bring some Japanese food to Athens, he'll do it. Kitajima brought rice to the world championships in Barcelona last year and cooked and ate it throughout the competition. The result: two world records and two golds in the 100 and 200 breaststroke.
"I knew that without extra Japanese food, I would lose rapidly and get weaker," Kitajima told Swimming World.
Kitajima's performance at worlds earned him worldwide accolades and rock star-like status in Japan. But he faces stiff challenges in Athens. American Brendan Hansen broke Kitajima's world record in the 200 in July.
No Japanese swimmer has won an Olympic medal in the breaststroke since Nobutaka Taguchi won gold in the 100 breaststroke in 1972.
