Five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe finished fifth in the 200-meter freestyle at the Victorian state championships today, his best result since coming out of retirement last year. “This is the best I can swim at this stage, there’s a lot I have to improve upon now,” says Thorpe, “technique-wise I wasn’t very good tonight, I was a little bit rushed.”. Some of us are maybe a bit underwhelmed by a fifth place in an Australian state championships, but the media is alight. Via ESPN