Hackett says he can go faster

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HOW fast can Grant Hackett go? Nobody knows, not even him – but the two-time Olympic champion is determined to find out.

After being one of the first to disembark from the jet that flew Australia’s Olympians home from Athens yesterday, Hackett revealed his plan to push his 1500m limits by skipping all other events at a major meet.

But first he plans to take a two-month break, his longest rest for eight years, to let his body recover. He will seek medical help for asthma and the chest infection that has lingered and affected his Olympic preparation.

“I’d like to finish my career having reached the highest pinnacle I can, by making the 1500m my sole focus some time and not doing all these other events,” Hackett said.

“I can definitely take more off my world record – a lot more. I have no doubt about that. I’m by no means putting pressure on myself, it’s just the belief I have in myself.

“I’ve spread myself a little bit thin over the years by trying to do sprint events at the same time and that makes it difficult to get everything I can out of that 1500m.”

Hackett’s dominance of the 1500m since 1997, making him the multiple world champion and Olympic champion and world record holder, is extraordinary given that he usually swims the arduous race at the end of a long program that includes the 200m and 400m freestyle and 4×200m relay.

His world best of 14min 34.56sec has already been described as “insane” by American Olympic silver medallist Larsen Jensen, but both Hackett and his coach Denis Cotterell believe the mark can be lowered if he’s fresh for his pet event.

Hackett’s world record, set at Fukuoka in Japan in 2001, compares to that of former distance king Kieren Perkins’ best was 14:41.66.

Before the Sydney Games, Hackett famously wrote his goals on the back of his toilet door at home. He refused to reveal what they were at the time, and he’s still avoiding specifics about his ambitions.

“I’m not going to limit myself by nominating times or anything like that,” he said.

“I never thought I’d do 14:34 and I did. I thought I’d maybe do 14:38 or 14:39 that day and I went nearly five seconds quicker, so I don’t want to limit the possibilities.”

Cotterell added: “He’s got more to show yet, that’s definite. I’ll tell you this – he’s ready to go a lot, lot faster in the future.”

Hackett, who swam at Athens after battling a chest infection since last November, said he was not surprised that Jensen had pushed him to the limit in a gripping 1500m final.

If Hackett wins in Beijing, he will achieve the rare feat of claiming three gold medals in the same Olympic event, an achievement made famous by Australia’s Dawn Fraser.