Australian swimming legend Ian Thorpe yesterday revealed he still thinks about his narrow escape from the September 11 attacks, when a forgotten camera may have saved his life.

Thorpe said the incident was still on his mind, nine years later. Thorpe was on his way to the World Trade Center observation deck in New York but turned back for the camera, delaying him long enough to avoid the Al-Qaeda attack.

“Not all the time, but I have it in my mind,” Thorpe said of his escape, adding that he “absolutely” realises how lucky he was.

Thorpe, a triple Olympic champion from the 2000 Sydney Games, retired five years later at the age of just 24.