Post-surgery infections may cost swimmer his arm

Five time Australian Olympic gold medalist Ian Thorpe may lose the use of his left arm due to a severe infection which developed after he underwent multiple surgeries on that shoulder in the last two months.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Thorpe's manager, James Erskine, said that he doesn't believe that Thorpe will be able to swim again, citing the surgery, and not the infection as the cause, though he denies that Thorpe may lose the use of his arm.

"It's serious but it's not life-threatening," said Erskine.

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Thorpe is an 11 world champion gold winner, and was admitted to a hospital after being found disoriented in Sidney from a mix of antidepressants and medication for his shoulder.

The swimmer won three gold medals during his 2000 Olympic debut in Sydney and won another two at Athens in 2004. He shocked the world when he announced his retirement in 2006 at the comparatively young age of 24, saying he lacked the motivation to compete.

In 2011 Thorpe announced that he would return to the water in 2011 in an attempt to qualify for the 2012 London games, but failed to make either the 100 or 200 meter freestyle events.

Last year Thorpe told media sources that he would attempt to swim in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, though the recent injuries and post-surgery complication make such an event highly unlikely.

Thorpe confirmed that he had been admitted to a rehab clinic after he was found dazed outside his parents home. In a 2012 autobiography he admitted that he had contemplated suicide and drank large amounts of alcohol to deal with his crippling depression.

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