Ian Thorpe

Five-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Ian Thorpe confirmed he's gay during an Australian sit-down interview Sunday ... after years of speculation over his sexuality. Thorpe had denied he was gay for a long time, but told Network Ten he realized the truth about himself sometime in the past few…

Olympic swimming legend Ian Thorpe -- who won FIVE gold medals for Australia over the years -- has been hospitalized in Sydney after suffering a serious infection in his shoulder ... and his agent says he will never swim competitively again. The 31-year-old's agent told local media, "He’s…