Ian Thorpe reveals he was offered a record deal in Japan – even though he can’t sing

He’s the Australian retired swimming legend who won five Olympic gold medals.

And on Wednesday, Ian Thorpe revealed he was offered a record deal in Japan but turned it down.

During an interview on The Project with Cody Simpson, host Peter Helliar asked the 38-year-old: ‘Cody [Simpson] has gone from singing to swimming, is there any chance that you could go from swimming to singing? Can you hold a tune?’

‘I was offered a record deal in Japan,’ Ian replied, to the amusement of the show’s co-hosts Carrie Bickmore and Waleed Aly.

Ian continued: ‘I was asked if I could sing and I said no. Then they said, “We don’t really care.”

‘So the answer is no,’ he responded. 

After breaking 22 world records and winning an abundance of medals, Ian retired from swimming at the age of 24.

Ian is now the chair of the Australian Institute of Sport’s Athlete Wellbeing Advisory Committee and supports other athletes.

The swimmer is also patron of ReachOut, a health organisation that provides support for under 25s with everyday issues and difficult times.

Last year, Ian admitted he regrets quitting from competitive swimming in 2006 at 24.

The five-time Olympic champion said he retired from his career at such a young age because he wasn’t able to deal with the enormous amount of pressure.

‘We had a team psychologist but people felt that if we saw him, then we had an issue,’ Ian told The Daily Telegraph.

‘When I saw him, he asked why I was doubting my ability and then gave me a pep talk. From there it was up to me.’

Ian went on to say he believes he could have competed in ‘another two Olympics’ at the time, if he didn’t have ‘pressures.’