SYDNEY (AP) — Australian media reports say five-time Olympic champion swimmer Ian Thorpe has checked into a rehab facility in Sydney while battling depression and alcohol abuse.
News Corporation says the 31-year-old Thorpe was admitted to hospital on Wednesday after being injured in a fall. The news organization quoted a friend of Thorpe as saying “he had an accident at home. He slipped and hurt himself. We’re hoping he’s going to be OK and make a full recovery.”
Thorpe has been living in Switzerland for the past 18 months but returned to Sydney to spend the Christmas period with family.
In his autobiography, released last year, Thorpe said he spent much of his life battling “crippling” depression.
