Olympic great Ian Thorpe found disoriented in Sydney

The manager of Olympic swimming great Ian Thorpe said the five-

time gold medallist is in rehab after being found disoriented on a

Sydney street early Monday morning by police responding to a call

from residents.

James Erskine told the Australian Associated Press that Thorpe

was affected by a combination of antidepressants and the

painkillers he was taking for a shoulder injury.

Police spoke to Thorpe after residents near his parents’ home in

Panania in Sydney’s southwest reported a man allegedly breaking

into a van. He was taken to Sydney’s Bankstown Hospital for

assessment and was later transferred to a rehab facility.

“He is in rehab for depression,” AAP quoted Erskine as saying.

Erskine said Thorpe had thought he was sitting in his friend’s car.

“The owner of the car basically called the police and the police

came,” he said. “They realised it was Ian Thorpe. They realised he

was disoriented.”

“He hadn’t had a drink,” he said. “He had zero alcohol in him.”

Police said no official complaint has been made and no further

police action is anticipated.

Thorpe, who is currently living in Switzerland, has been staying

with his parents over Christmas.

Erskine’s admission that Thorpe is in rehab comes only days after

Thorpe’s management company denied reports he checked into a

rehab facility while battling depression and alcohol abuse.