Thorpe says Phelps won't break Spitz's gold record

BEIJING (Reuters) - Mark Spitz's record haul of seven gold medals at a single Olympics will not be threatened by compatriot Michael Phelps at the Beijing Games in August, according to retired Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe.

Five-times Olympic gold medallist Thorpe, who retired at the age of 24, said tough competition for Phelps will mean Spitz's haul at the 1972 Games in Munich will remain the benchmark.

"I wish him all the very best. I don't think he will do it, but I'd love to see it," the 25-year-old told reporters in Beijing on Monday.

"There's a thing called competition. It won't just be one athlete that will be competing, and in a lot of events he has a lot of strong competition," Thorpe said.

American Phelps, 22, who will choose an event programme in Beijing that will give him every chance to beat Spitz's record, won six golds in Athens in 2004.

Thorpe won three golds as a 17-year-old at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and did the 200 and 400 metres freestyle double in Athens.

He announced his retirement in November 2006, citing a lack of motivation.

Thorpe said he was content with life after competition and had no desire to return to the pool competitively.

"I have had inklings of getting back in and swimming, not competitively, but they last for like five seconds, and then I'm over it again," he said.