Australian Swimmer Grant Hackett and his athletic career (Part II)
After the Summer Olympics at Sydney, Grant’s major international meet was the 2001 World Championships that took place in Fukoka. Grant gave a brilliant performance in this championship and swam at the top of his speed and thus set personal records in the 200 metre, 400 metre, 800 metre and 1500 metre freestyle events.
Along with other swimmers from Australia, Grant improved on the team’s previous record in the 4 into 200 metre freestyle. In the 1500 metre freestyle race at the World championship, Grant broke Perkin’s world record by seven seconds and so managed to take away the gold medal in the race. This record set by Grant is yet to be overcome by any swimmer. The world record mark is invincible to such an extent that despite the use of twenty first century high tech swim suits including Speedo LZR Racer, Arena X-Glide and Jaked01, no athlete up to the latest Pan Pacific Swimming Championships has been able to surpass it. Many world champions including the Olympic champion Oussama Mellouli call this an epic record. In the aforementioned championships, Grant won away two silver and two gold medals. All these medals were won in the freestyle races of different distances.
The 2003 World Championships that took place in Barcelona also witnessed some of the best performances that Grant has given throughout his bright athletic career. He won away 5 gold medals, 3 silver and 1 bronze. Even though he was not able to break any of his own personal bests, but he did win all the individual events that he participated in including the 200 metre, 400 metre, 800 metre and 1500 metre freestyle. The Australian team once again won the 4 into 200 metre freestyle relay race.
The following year, Grant Hackett participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics at Athens. By that time, the Australian athlete was six feet five inches tall and weighed 198 pounds. The swimmer had practised hard for this event, developed great stamina and strength for the long distance race, and won the 1500 metres event, holding off the great swimmers Larsen Jensen and David Davies. Grant finished second, behind Thorpe in the 400 metre freestyle and thus won a silver medal in this particular race. Grant did not come up to the expectations of his fans and trainers in the 4 into 200 metre relay, where his lead leg swim was not very convincing and he finished 1.66 seconds later than his own world record in the event. The 200 metre freestyle race also lacked the swimmer’s enthusiasm; consequently, he was unable to win any medal in this race.
Next was the 2005 World Championships, where Grant headed the Australian team as the captain. He represented the strong Australian squad at Montreal, won the 400 metre, 800 metre and 1500 metre freestyle races, and clinched the gold medals in all of these events. While he won the silver medal in the 200 metre freestyle meet in the 2005 World Championships, Grant was given the title of the Australian Swimmer of the Year 2005. He was listed as the top swimmer of the year 2005 by the Swimming World Magazine. Later that year, Grant revealed that he will not be participating in the Commonwealth Games, which were scheduled in 2006. He told the Australian Swimming Federation that he was not fit to play at these Games, since he had an appointment for a shoulder surgery around the same time as the Commonwealth Games. The great athlete still represented the Australian Swimming team as a non competing captain of the team. Towards the end of the year 2006, Grant retired to Melbourne and did not swim until the 2007 World Championships.
2007 World Championships was the first event in which he finished the 1500 metre freestyle race in the seventh spot. He was defeated in this event after over a decade.
The 2008 Summer Olympics was the last International event in which Grant swam. The Australian swimming team captain failed to qualify for the 10,000 metres race, while he won the silver medal in his most celebrated 1500 metre freestyle race.
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