Hackett up for 200m at Montreal worlds

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Australian team captain Grant Hackett will contest the 200m freestyle in what promises to be a busy World Championships for him in July.

Hackett had already qualified for the 200m, 400, 800m, 1500m and 4×200m relay for the Montreal championships, but was expected to withdraw from the individual 200m to conserve himself for the other races.

Having revealed on Friday that he would leave a final decision as to whether he should enter the 200m to his coach Denis Cotterill and Australian head coach Alan Thompson, it was announced on Sunday that Hackett will indeed have a go at the event.

“Grant is a very experienced athlete and Denis (Cotterell) is a very experienced coach, they know what he is doing in training they know what he is capable of doing,” Thompson told AAP.

Forced to bypass this weekend’s Telstra Grand Prix in Canberra because of a sore throat, Hackett will count American Michael Phelps as his major rival for the 200m in the absence of current world champion Ian Thorpe.

“It certainly does, the challenge was put out there by Phelps in the 400 and now there is going to be a very competitive race in the 200,” said Thompson.

“I think that all just adds to the excitement we are going to have in Montreal and they are just fantastic athletes and anytime you see a group of fantastic athletes up against each other it is always very exciting.”

Hackett to climb a mountain in Montreal

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Olympic and world 1,500 metres champion Grant Hackett will add the 200 metres freestyle to his already bulging program at July’s swimming world championships in Montreal, Canada.

Swimming Australia head coach Alan Thompson made the announcement as the grand prix meet wrapped up in Canberra.

Hackett will have a real chance of taking out the 200m freestyle in the absence of reigning world champion Ian Thorpe, who is taking a break from the sport, although American superstar Michael Phelps will stand in his way.

Hackett, the Australian team captain, will also take on the 400m, 800m, 1,500m and 4×200m relay, giving him by far the biggest assignment of any Australian athlete at the meet.

He was unable to compete in Canberra because of illness but plenty of swimmers threw up impressive performances in his absence.

Mackay’s Linda MacKenzie completed the treble, adding the women’s 400m freestyle to her 200m and 800m victories.

Ethan Rolff from Kingscliff on the northern New South Wales coast also impressed, clinching the backstroke treble when he edged Matt Welsh in the 50m final.

Rolff, who is not going to the world championships, has his sights set squarely on next year’s Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

Jessicah Schipper had an outstanding win in the women’s 200m butterfly, beating home Felicity Galvez to add the win to her effort in the 100m.

Western Australia’s Lara Carroll added the 400m individual medley to her 200m win, while Athens Olympics champion Jodie Henry won the women’s 100m freestyle, edging out Mackenzie who displayed her all-round skills.

There were other eye-catching wins for Michael Klim and Leisel Jones, with Klim clocking 22.81 seconds to beat Eamon Sullivan and Brett Hawke in the 50m freestyle, and Jones backing up from her 100m breast stroke win to take out the 200m event.

Jade Edmistone, meanwhile, edged out Tarnee White and Brooke Hanson in the women’s 50m breast stroke.

Hackett chasing Phelps and history

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Distance master Grant Hackett has never backed away from a challenge. And he isn’t about to start now.

Hackett confirmed he will chase an unprecedented four freestyle titles at next month’s world swimming championships in Montreal by adding the 200m freestyle to his program.

Standing in his way in the four-lap race is one of the greatest swimmers of all time in American superstar Michael Phelps.

The Baltimore Bullet has the wood over Hackett in the event, having torched him in lead-off relay legs and in the Olympic final last year.

Athens bronze medallist Phelps is the warm favourite for the 200m following the decision of Olympic champion Ian Thorpe and silver medallist Pieter van Den Hoogenband to skip the meet.

However Hackett has never dodged racing against swimming phenomenons, having spent his career racing in the shadow of Thorpe in middle distance events.

The Queenslander’s decision to swim the 200m comes after the American decided this year to venture into one of Hackett’s prime events, the 400m freestyle.

Australian head coach Alan Thompson denied Hackett was spreading himself too thin by taking on the 200m, following his well-documented health problems last year.

“Grant is a very experienced athlete and Denis (Cotterell) is a very experienced coach, they know what he is doing in training they know what he is capable of doing,” he said.

Thompson felt Hackett’s decision to swim the 200m added spice to a world championships missing big names such as Thorpe and Van Den Hoogenband.

“It certainly does, the challenge was put out there by Phelps in the 400 and now there is going to be a very competitive race in the 200,” said Thompson.

“I think that all just adds to the excitement we are going to have in Montreal and they are just fantastic athletes and anytime you see a group of fantastic athletes up against each other it is always very exciting.”

Hackett dropped the 200m following his serious chest problems which plagued him last year.

However, a more cautious approach to training has seen the Gold Coast swimmer overcome his health problems, and he was in stunning form at the trials in March.

The national team captain reflected his new approach by missing this weekend’s Telstra Grand Prix meet in Canberra with a sore throat.

Alice Mills (cold) sat out the meet while Libby Lenton missed the final day of racing because of a mild asthma problem.

Jodie Henry (55.09 seconds) and Michael Klim (22.81s) were the shining lights in the 100m and 50m freestyle respectively.

Breaststroker Leisel Jones (2:27.98) also showed good form with a comfortable win in the 200m.

Hackett might yet face Phelps in 200m

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As things stand, Grant Hackett will not swim the 200 metres freestyle at next month’s world championships in Montreal. By lunchtime tomorrow however, Hackett may get the go-ahead to stand alongside American superstar Michael Phelps in what could be the race of the titles.

Hackett won the 200m at the selection trials in Sydney in March, but decided not to swim the individual event due to a full program that comprises the 400m, 800m and 1500m as well as the 4×200m freestyle relay.

But Hackett, who is suffering a throat infection and will miss this weekend’s grand prix in Canberra, yesterday admitted that when a hernia operation ruled Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband out of the championships - compounding the absence of world-record holder Ian Thorpe - his interest in competing in the event was reignited.

His coach Denis Cotterell is in Canberra and will meet national head coach Alan Thompson and Pat Murphy, who finished third at the trials and would swim the 200m in Canada if Hackett didn’t compete. An announcement will be made tomorrow.

“The reason for not taking it on is having too many events and spreading myself a bit too thin, and I could cost myself medals, or fast times, or personal bests in my other races throughout the week,” Hackett said. “The reason to do it, I love the competition, the opportunity to race a great swimmer like Michael Phelps once again, and I love racing.

“I love getting up on the blocks and the challenge of having a heavy program and getting out there and seeing how I do. You’re always thinking of ways to evolve as an athlete and to challenge yourself in different ways, and certainly doing such a broad range would be one way of doing that.

“The withdrawal of Pieter sort of pricked my ears a bit. I haven’t thought about getting up and winning all these races, it’s just getting up and racing them and seeing how I go. The event’s a little more open and that’s where the question mark came in.

“But, until the decision is made, I’m still where I am at and that’s no, I’m not swimming it. When Denis has spoken to Alan and Pat and see how it affects the team and how they feel about it … we’ll go from there.

“Ultimately it’s Denis’s decision. If he came to me and said ‘Look, this is really going to affect your program and play havoc with your other events and you’re not going to get the best out of yourself’ … I would listen to that and probably not want to do it.”

The 200m freestyle at the Athens Olympics was dubbed “race of the century”. Thorpe beat van den Hoogenband with Phelps third and an ill Hackett fifth.

Hackett yet to finalise Montreal program

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Australian swimmer Grant Hackett is yet to decide whether he will contest the 200 metres freestyle event at next month’s world championships in Montreal.

Hackett won the event at the world championship trials in March, but has been struck down by a recent virus that forced him to withdrawal from the grand prix meet currently being held at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.

The Gold Coast-based swimmer is due to contest the 400m, 800m and 15,00m freestyle events in Montreal.

Hackett said he would make a final decision on whether he would take part in the 200m in Montreal after discussing the matter with his coach Denis Cotterell.

“To be honest, I would probably listen to Denis more than I would listen to myself,” he said.

“If he came to me and said ‘look, this is really going to affect your program and play havoc with your other events and you are not going to get the best out of yourself’, then I would probably listen to that.”

Montreal next stop for impressive Murphy

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ALBURY Olympian Patrick Murphy is on track for the World Championships after an impressive performance in the Grand Prix One series in Brisbane at the weekend.

Murphy finished second in the 100m freestyle with a time of 50.85s, behind Ashley Calluss 50.77s.

Murphy also showed his strength in the 200m freestyle event with Grant Hackett winning in 1:50.19.

He will replace Hackett in the 200m freestyle event in Montreal after finishing second in 1:51.54.

The championships run July 21-24.

The team will come together again for the Telstra Grand Prix Two meeting in Canberra on June 10-12 before heading to Orlando for a camp on July 7.

l The Commercial Club Winter Series continues to strengthen at the G.T. Aquatics Swim Centre with more swimmers turning up for the winter challenge.

Ted Woodbury has been on fire claiming the maximum 16 points for his efforts in the days competition with Phil Cosgrave gaining his momentum to snare 13.

Terry Sillet leads on the progressive points score ladder with a total of 28 points from Andrew Docker on 26, just ahead of Graham Dickie and Barclay Dowling on 23 points.

In the brace pairs relay events, husband and wife duo Andrew and Kerrie Docker retain their lead with six points over father and son team Graham and Brendan Dickie who are right on their tail with five points.

The series will continue on Sunday with the program being set for 200m choice events, 50m and 25m freestyle along with choice 25m events.

Olympic legend Kieren Perkins will hold a Learn To Swim clinic at North Albury on October 15.

The visit to the Border is part of a national tour with the champion also putting youngsters through their paces at Gladstone, Hobart, Darwin, Kalgoorlie and Alice Springs.

Bookings are a must and can be made at Qantas on 1300 732 290.