Daily Telegraph, January 28, 2009

IAN Thorpe's mystery male friend has been unmasked - he is Brazilian swimmer Daniel Mendes. Mendes and Thorpe were photographed sunning themselves and playing in the surf at Fernando de Noronha in Brazil last week.

The pictures were distributed worldwide but the identity of the man with Thorpe remained a mystery until they turned up in Australia.

Sydney Confidential can reveal that Mendes has been living with Thorpe for the past three years as his housemate. According to Thorpe's manager David Flaskas, the men were introduced through Thorpe's former coach Tracey Menzies while Thorpe was training for the 2008 Olympics. They became training buddies before their friendship developed.

The photos of the men were taken at the end of a month-long vacation in Brazil. The pair flew over in late December to celebrate Christmas with the Mendes family after first celebrating with Thorpe's family in Australia.

"It was a Mendes family holiday with many, many people," Flaskas said yesterday. "They went diving, surfing. They just relaxed at the beach before Ian had to return to Australia and resume his university studies."

On Monday, Thorpe flew home to Sydney to prepare for the start of the university year. He is studying psychology and linguistics at Macquarie University. It is the second time Thorpe has accompanied the more slightly built Mendes home to Brazil in the past year.

The Mendes family, which also includes Daniel's two brothers, are no strangers to Thorpe's Port Hacking home either. The entire family were his guests for New Year's 2006.

Also a student, Mendes is this year expected to conclude his own tertiary studies at Wollongong University where he is studying business. His forthcoming graduation raises the question: Will he remain in Australia or return to Brazil where his father is a prominent businessman? Or he may pursue opportunities in the US, where Thorpe has a home.