& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Larger than life

REUTERS, Athens
Ian Thorpe might swim like a giant shark but he still feels like he's living in a tiny fishbowl. Thorpe had been hoping to keep a relatively low-profile in Athens after all the hype in Sydney four years ago but it was just wishful thinking.
Even with American Michael Phelps chasing a record eight gold medals, Thorpe remains the most recognisable swimmer in the world and a constant source of fascination.
It was standing room only when he held his first news conference at Athens on Tuesday with journalists, photographers and television crews from around the world cramming into an undersized auditorium to hear him speak.
And it's not just the media that are hooked on Thorpe. The Australian says he has been besieged by other athletes at the Olympic village and his only sanctuary is the bedroom he shares with Craig Stevens.
"I do get a little bit hounded in the village," Thorpe said. "But being athletes they understand there is a job at hand and it is just about getting away from the zoo."
Thorpe is remarkably unfazed by all the attention. Now 21, he has been living in the spotlight since he made the Australian swimming team as a 14 year old.
He was world champion by 15 and won three gold medals as a 17 year old at the Sydney Olympics, earning millions in endorsements and sponsorship deals.
His list of achievements is already staggering but the best may be yet to come. He is entered for six events at Athens and has strong prospects in every race.
Thorpe is the favourite to win the 200 and 400 metres freestyle races and is one of the leading contenders for the 100m, giving him the chance of a
IAN THORPE
unique treble. He is also entered in the three relays with Australia expected to finish in the medals in each event.
Thorpe is unbeaten over 400m in seven years and hasn't lost over 200m since he finished second to Pieter van den Hoogenband in Sydney.
He avenged his loss to the flying Dutchman by beating him at the past
two world championships and regaining the world record, but not everything has gone smoothly for him.
Thorpe almost missed the 400m in Athens after he was disqualified for a false start at the Australian trials and only got to swim the event after Stevens stood aside to focus on his other events.
Thorpe faces a great challenge in the 200m with van den Hoogenband, Phelps and former world record holder Grant Hackett all lining up against him in what shapes as the best race of the Olympics.
At 1.95 metres tall and weighing 98 kilograms, Thorpe has the perfect physique for swimming with hands like plates and size-17 feet that act like flippers.
He also cuts an imposing figure as he prowls the pool deck in his black bodysuit but there are lingering concerns about his form.
He set 13 long-course world records between 1999 and 2002 but hasn't set another one since dumping his long-term coach Doug Frost for Tracey Menzies, his high school art teacher.
Under Menzies, Thorpe has been refining his technique and focusing more on his sprint, and the pair are confident the benefits will be there to see in Athens.
"The only way you can judge performances is after the race," Thorpe said. "And for me, it's not about medals, it's about performance and knowing you've done the best you can."