Dawn Fraser, first and still one of only two to have won the same event at three successive Olympic Games, has urged fellow Australian Ian Thorpe to race the 400m freestyle at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 to give himself the chance of becoming the first man to achieve the triple.
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IT’S doubtful we will see the best of Ian Thorpe for quite a while.
Struck down with symptoms of glandular fever and a busted hand, Thorpe is in recovery mode.
History shows athletes with glandular fever rarely surpass their previous feats, as they struggle to regain their full energy levels.
So that’s bad news for Thorpe, as he aims to rebuild and hit peak form at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
It’s been four years since Thorpe broke a world record and the men’s team has had a touch of the doldrums, as it faces public expectation that it should win gold after gold.
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By JON TUXWORTH MOTIV8, the masterminds behind the popular Amazing Race TV show, have played a major role in helping build team unity amongst the Australian Open Water Swimming squad.
No, the squad isn’t racking up frequent flyer points jet-setting around the world, going bungee jumping and genuinely annoying each other like the couples in the Channel Seven show.
Or eating bulls’ testicles or something else equally repugnant.
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WHILE Sam Newman may not be seen around there for a while (he’s suing), Grant Hackett has been spotted at the Lamborghini showrooms in South Melbourne, looking over a Gallardo. It seems to be the automotive sex symbol of choice for the athletic brigade. Latest Lamborghini magazine features Asafa Powell who owns one already. Only thing on earth faster than he is.
Grant Hackett is back pushing himself in the pool as he aims to
make history in Beijing, Will Swanton writes.
Grant Hackett is coughing and spluttering and his voice is hoarse and it’s bleeding obvious he should have stayed in bed. Everyone else is still there: it’s 5am. Go home, you fool. Fish don’t swim this early.
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Australian swimming legend Grant Hackett returned from nine months out with a shoulder injury with a message for Welsh rival David Davies.
Hackett, unbeaten at 1500m freestyle in 10 years, was taken close by Davies and American Larsen Jensen when he claimed Olympic gold in Athens in 2004.
“I always expected them to improve but not to 14min 45sec, I think anything is possible for Beijing 2008,” he said.
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GRANT Hackett is considering a world record 1500 metres swansong at the Beijing Olympics before focusing on the 400 metres freestyle.
In his first event in nine months due to shoulder surgery, Hackett overcame self-doubt to win the grand prix 400 metres freestyle final in Brisbane last night in a time that would have easily claimed Melbourne Commonwealth Games gold.
He clocked 3min 46.99sec - the fastest 400 metres freestyle time in the world this year, comfortably eclipsing Scot David Carry’s 3:48.17 Melbourne Games gold effort in March.
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Australian Grant Hackett clocked the fastest 400m freestyle time in the world this year at his competitive comeback race six months after shoulder surgery.
The Olympic 1,500m champion’s 3:46.99, at the Brisbane round of the Australian Grand Prix circuit, marked the first sub 3:48 swim of the year. Japan’s Takeshi Matsuda clocked 3:48.08 last month, while Britain and Scotland’s David Carry won the Commonwealth title in 3:48.17 in March.
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Grant Hackett is back pushing himself in the pool as he aims for history in Beijing, Will Swanton writes.
GRANT Hackett is coughing and spluttering and his voice is hoarse and it’s bleeding obvious he should have stayed in bed. Everyone else is still there: it’s 5am. Go home, you fool. Fish don’t swim this early.
Hackett’s coach Denis Cotterell suggests Hackett should have the morning off because, you know what, Grant, you can do more harm than good if you push yourself while you’re sick. Hackett tells Cotterell to get nicked. He spits in his hand and shows Cotterell the evidence and says: “It’s yellow, not green. I’m OK.”
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Nerves almost got the better of world champion Grant Hackett before his long-awaited comeback to competitive swimming at Brisbane - not that you could tell.
Anxious before contesting his first meet in nine months following shoulder surgery, Hackett still won the 400 metres freestyle at the Telstra Grand Prix series opener in 3min46.99sec - a time that would have comfortably won Commonwealth Games gold at Melbourne.
Not to be outdone, world champion Leisel Jones turned heads by claiming the 100m breaststroke in 1:06.29 - a time that would have been a world record a year ago.
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