SINGAPORE — Much ink has been spilled about the supposedly fierce rivalry between swimming legends Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe.

At the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, the “race of the century” kept millions glued to their television sets as both lined up at the starting blocks for the men’s 200m freestyle final alongside defending champion Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands and Australia’s former world record holder Grand Hackett.

The Australian, nicknamed the “Thorpedo”, eventually won in a new Olympic record of 1min 44.71sec, with van den Hoogenband and Phelps second (1:45.23) and third (1:45.32) respectively.

The duo continued to dominate headlines even after Thorpe’s retirement in 2006. Ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Phelps even pasted a comment Thorpe made — that he would not win eight golds at the Games — on his locker as motivation.

But years later, the 1.95m tall Thorpe insists the duo are friends and hopes 18-time gold medallist Phelps, the winningest Olympian, will come out of retirement for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The 30-year-old — who returned to competitive swimming in 2011 —made a special appearance at the Singapore Sports School yesterday at the invitation of sponsor TYR. He is expected to return to Singapore in a few weeks to launch a new business venture.

“I like Michael to still be swimming, but he probably feels a similar way that he’s had enough and needs to get out,” said Thorpe, dressed yesterday in a casual getup of black polo T-shirt, jeans and sneakers.

“I tried to convince him to stay for a little bit longer so we can meet up. We’re friends and we compete against each other but this is where everyone gets a bit mixed up ... We only really raced each other in one race, and our races don’t cross over.

“People talk about the rivalry between Australia and the US but it really doesn’t exist. We are competitors but we talk and respect one another.”

Regarded as one of the world’s greatest swimmers, Thorpe rose to superstardom early in his career after winning the 400m freestyle at the 1998 World Championships in Perth at the age of 14 to become the youngest individual male world champion.

Despite intense media scrutiny and pressure, he went on to win five gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and 11 world championship titles. But a lack of motivation saw him retire at only 24 in November 2006.

However, he returned five years later to qualify for the 2012 London Games but failed to make the cut at the Australian Olympic trials. He has not ruled out another shot at the Olympics.

“I have to make a decision and see if my body can hold up for so long,” he said. “I’m in a different phase of my life as I’m swimming solely for enjoyment as I’ve accomplished more than I expected. I’m like a kid again — that’s how I feel — and have that enthusiasm again.”

With the likes of China’s double gold medallist Sun Yang and 20-year-old Frenchman Yannick Agnel, who claimed gold in the 200m freestyle at the London Games, Thorpe knows his quest to reach the 2016 Rio Olympics will be tough.

“One thing that we did see (in London) … is the emergence of China. It’s been coming for a long time and I think what we’ll see now is this period where it will be the US and China that will be very dominant,” he said.

“I have never seen a better American swim team than the one in London. Their swimmers were exceptional and I think it’s probably Phelps’ legacy … The swimming world has changed and it’s because it’s become more global.”