Ian Thorpe expresses delight on birth of Michael Phelps' 4th child

Michael Phelps recently received a heart-warming wish from one of his rivals Ian Thorpe after the birth of his fourth child. Phelps and his wife Nicole announced the news on January 23, resulting in a flood of joyous messages on social media.

On Monday, the retired swimmer and his wife Nicole Phelps shared an adorable picture of themselves with their newborn on Instagram. The legendary swimmer was seen holding the baby in his arms whereas Nicole rested her head on Phelps’ shoulder.

Along with the picture, they shared in the caption that their fourth son, “Nico Michael Phelps” was born on January 16. Phelps also expressed his excitement of becoming “a family of 6” now.

He captioned the picture saying:

"@mrs.nicolephelps and I wanna welcome Nico Michael Phelps to the world."

"Born on 1/16."

"We’re so blessed to be given a 4th child. We’re now a family of 6! 😁😁🤪😂"।

The adorable Instagram post gained loads of wishes and love from fans and Phelps’ fellow athletes. Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe also expressed his excitement for the newborn’s arrival. The five-time Olympics gold medallist mentioned in the comment section,

"Delighted for yourself, @mrs.nicolephelps and all the family. Hello Nico 👋"

Ian Thorpe's comment on Phelps's new post ( Image via Instagram/00_michaelphelps)

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Ian Thorpe on competing with Michael Phelps

Ian Thorpe and Phelps in 2004 Olympics at the Mens 4x200m Free Relay Medal Ceremony

The rivalry between Ian Thorpe and Michael Phelps was a short-lived one due to the Australian swimmer's early retirement in 2006.

Although Thorpe has said goodbye to the sport long back, he decided to take another chance. Thorpe attempted to make a brief comeback in 2012 to try to qualify for the Olympics. However, it turned out to be an unsuccessful attempt as he failed to qualify.

In 2020, during a podcast interview with Brett Hawke, the swimmer spoke on his experience participating against the Baltimore Bullet.

The retired swimmer said,

"I may regret saying this but I kind of wish Michael Phelps was kind of little bit older. For me, it would've challenged me."

Thorpe is a specialist in freestyle swimming. However, when he saw Phelps carrying out freestyle swimming, he gained a new perspective. The swimmer told in the interview,

“When he started doing it in freestyle as well that was when I really went, he is extraordinary".

Phelps and Thorpe competed together at the 2003 World Aquatics Championships. Michael Phelps defeated Ian Thorpe in the 200-meter individual medley and won gold with a world record time of 1:56.04, finishing three seconds ahead of Ian.

The Australian swimmer finished second, but his time of 1:59.66 set a new national record.