Olympic legend spotted in wheelchair after “serious and painful” accident while filming reality TV show

• Ian Thorpe was spotted in a wheelchair in Brisbane
• Olympic legend suffered “serious accident”
• Incident occurred during the filming of a reality TV show

Olympic hero Ian Thorpe was spotted in a wheelchair in Brisbane on Wednesday, creating disturbing scenes for his fans.

Thorpe, 41, won five Olympic gold medals during his glittering career in the pool and has become a well-known figure since his retirement.

According to 7News, Thorpe sustained a “serious and painful” injury while filming a reality TV show, which resulted in him requiring a wheelchair to access and return to the Brisbane Aquatic Centre, where he works to broadcast the Paris Trials.

“We have been told Ian Thorpe is completely fine but the injury was apparently severe and painful,” said Seven’s Chris Reason.

Thorpe is said to have sustained the injury while filming “Celebrity Amazing Race,” where he worked with his childhood friend Christian Miranda.

The 41-year-old is a leading voice for gay rights in sport and came out as gay in 2014. During his professional career, he kept his sexuality a secret because he did not want it to be a “distraction” from competition.

“I had to swim and win at the Olympics. I didn’t want anything to distract me. I didn’t want people to talk about it,” he said earlier this year.

“Any time it’s suggested that you might be gay, you think it’s a negative thing, and as a young person you make it bigger than it needs to be. So I answered no.”

Thorpe said he regrets keeping his sexuality a secret for so long because it made the process of coming out feel much more confrontational.

“I can say I’m gay without any qualms. And I don’t want people to feel the way I do. You can grow up, you can feel good and you can be gay.”

The five-time Olympic gold medalist came out as gay in July 2014 in an interview with the respected English television presenter Sir Michael Parkinson.

The athlete later revealed on an episode of “This Is Your Life” in 2022 that he decided to talk about his sexuality because he finally felt “comfortable.”

“I used to do this interview with Sir Michael Parkinson. I had just come out to my family and my very closest friends,” Ian told presenter Melissa Doyle.

“I had spent some time with (Sir Michael Parkinson) before the interview and said to him, ‘You should ask me if I’m gay, because I’m going to tell you.'”

Ian continued, “I had to say it. It was the first time I felt comfortable enough to show myself. It was important to me to be my authentic self.”

At the time, the athlete explained: “I have thought about it for a long time. I am not heterosexual. And that is something that I have only recently – in the last two weeks – been able to tell the people closest to me without hesitation.”

The Sydney native was first questioned about his sexuality at the age of 16 and said he didn’t know it at the time but was “ultimately gay anyway.”

“Yes, I lied about it. I can now say without hesitation that I am gay.”