ANOTHER AWESOME AUSSIE

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The Man Who Would Be King

Former distance freestyle great, Kieren Perkins, was known as “The King” in Australia during his heyday. Now, the crown belongs to world record holder Grant Hackett, who has remained undefeated in the 1500 meter free for six years…and counting.
By Stephen J. Thomas

The Hackett File
Name: Grant Hackett
Nickname: Hacky
Age: 22
Date of Birth: May 9, 1980
Height: 6-5 1/2 (197 cm)
Weight: 198 pounds (90 kg)
Club: Miami, Queensland
Coach: Denis Cotterell
Parents: Neville and Margaret
Brother: Craig
Pet: German Shepherd (Blade)
School: Merrimac State High School
University: Bond University (Gold Coast)
Major: Commerce/Law
Car: Audi A6
Sponsors: Audi, Pierre Cardin, Speedo, Uncle Toby’s and Westpac Bank

Grant’s Bests
Event Long Course Short Course
100 meter free 50.31 48.67
200 meter free 1:45.84 (3) 1:42.48 (3)
400 meter free 3:42.51 (2) 3:34.58 (WR)
800 meter free 7:40.34 (2) 7:25.28 (WR)
1500 meter free 14:34.46 (WR) 14:10.10 (WR)
All-time performer ranking in parentheses
WR = World Record

Number of sub-15-minute long course 1500s: 12
It’s Feb. 7. I am a little apprehensive about the large sign on the front gate that warns, “A large dog resides here,” but fortunately, “Blade”, Grant Hackett’s 3-year-old German shepherd, is as easy-going as his master.

Eventually, a tall, lean and tanned Hackett appears at the door of the den of his comfortable family home on the Queensland Gold Coast of Australia, where he has lived since he was 9. At 6-5 1/2 and 198 pounds, and tailor-made for endurance swimming, he looks in the best shape of his career.

Lately, the 22-year-old has taken a liking to a trim designer-style beard, perhaps to match his two most recent stylish European sponsors: Audi and Pierre Cardin. Certainly, Hackett has come a long way since that lanky, pimply, 16-year-old kid who won his first major international 1500 meter freestyle at the World Short Course Champs in Gothenburg, Sweden, in April 1997. Some six years later (and counting), Hackett remains undefeated over the distance, a rare achievement in elite sport in the modern era.

His record over the 30-lap race speaks for itself. Hackett has taken Olympic gold in Sydney and two World Championship titles, including his sensational 14:34.56 in Fukuoka to smash fellow-Aussie legend Kieren Perkins’ world mark by over seven seconds. There are also three consecutive Pan Pac wins and two Commonwealth victories.

In the short course pool, Hackett has won three world titles over 1500 meters, in addition to holding the world records for the 400, 800 and 1500 meter freestyles as well as being part of the Aussie world record 800 meter relay teams over both short and long course.

Busy Times
It’s a particularly busy period for Hackett with the World Championship Trials just over a month away. He’s logging around 65,000 meters per week over 10 sessions and trying to balance this with the considerable demands on his time from sponsors, media and public requests, all part of being at the top of his sport in this swimming-mad country.

Our interview was squeezed in right after a couple of hours of much-needed rest in between sessions in the pool, so I’m not surprised when he stifles a yawn. I get his full attention, though, when I ask him about the much awaited ‘Duel in the Pool’ to be held in Indianapolis immediately after the U.S. Nationals.

Hackett will be one of the few Aussies who will start as a favorite against the Yanks in his main event, although he will probably also qualify for the 200 free with world record holder Ian Thorpe and be part of the 400 free relay team.

“We’ve got to be prepared to come back after the Trials and perform very fast away from home soil. It’s going to be very competitive and, naturally, the media will be focusing on the rivalry.”

Hackett was disappointed that the 800 relay and 400 freestyle were not in the men’s program: “We haven’t lost those two events to them for some time.”

As to his own form, Hackett is confident of a strong showing in Indianapolis: “I would like to perform quicker in the 1500 than at our Trials. The last five months have gone very well for me. Since my break after Pan Pacs, I’ve seen improvements in my sprints, middle distance and distance work in training”, an ominous warning to his competition, given his outstanding record last year where only multiple world record holder Ian Thorpe finished in front of Hackett in a race longer than 100 meters.

What is particularly impressive is that his speed is definitely on the rise. Hackett swam a PR 50.31 in the 100 free at nationals to make the Aussie 400 relay team that won gold at Pan Pacs (where he split 49.05).

He clocked another PR 1:45.84 in the 200 free at Pan Pacs, second behind world record holder Ian Thorpe and third all-time performer behind Thorpe and Olympic champion Pieter van den Hoogenband. Hackett also scored a convincing win over Hoogie in the 200 free by 7-tenths of a second at the FINA World Cup in Melbourne in December, when he clocked a world-leading 1:42.48.

Mighty Adversaries
In Hackett’s career thus far, his two biggest rivals have come from Down Under. First there was the man known as “The King” in Australia, Kieren Perkins. Perkins won gold at two consecutive Olympics in the 1500 (Barcelona and Atlanta).

He held the world record of 14:41.66 from 1994 until Hackett took the mark in 2001.

“He was a god in the sport here when I started competing against him, and I always gave him his due respect when I spoke about him,” says Hackett.

In the build-up to the Sydney Olympics, the Hackett-Perkins rivalry was a huge media focus. The media-savvy Perkins would often dominate a media conference between the two swimmers.

“I’d just sit back and listen and occasionally get a word in, but that was OK. That’s part of sport,” Hackett admitted. “To be honest, I missed the hype and the build-up of racing Kieren after the Olympics. He sometimes used the media as a competitive thing. It’s not something I like to do. I prefer to do my talking by the way I perform in the pool.”

His “talking” came across loud and clear to Perkins. When asked what makes Grant Hackett special as a distance swimmer, Perkins doesn’t hesitate: “There is no question: it is certainly his speed, his ability to pick up the pace at any time in a race. His speed over 200 meters, and now the 100, makes him the complete package for a distance swimmer.”

His second mighty adversary, Ian Thorpe, whose phenomenal six-beat kick courtesy of his size 16s is his secret weapon, has been the world’s dominant swimmer ever since he surged past Hackett to take the 400 free at the ‘98 World Champs as a 15-year-old.

Some suggest Hackett’s outstanding performances have been diminished in the shadow of Thorpe’s amazing record and the media hype that surrounds him. Hackett does not dwell on this issue and is quick to point out that he is primarily an endurance swimmer, whereas Thorpe is tailored for shorter distances.

“I concentrate on my own game, working at getting fitter, fine-tuning technique and aiming to come home faster. Ian is so strong in the legs, the back-end of his race, with his six-beat kick, it’s hard to match. He’s a very gifted athlete with a lot of genetic advantages.”

To be honest, though, Hackett admits he’s a little sick of being asked if he can beat Thorpe. He just says that at the Aussie Trials, he will aim to beat his PR (3:42.51) in the 400 and see where that takes him, under Thorpe’s WR 3:40.08, perhaps?, but he will have to beat Thorpe to do so.

Interestingly, Hackett is quietly confident he can break the 7:40 barrier in the 800 at the Trials. He clocked 7:40.34 at the 2001 World Champs behind Thorpe’s WR 7:39.16.

“Although Thorpe will skip the race, in my mind I will be racing the world record, so he will still be there,” mused Hackett.

One Tough Hombre
At the Aussie Trials, Hackett will swim the 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500 freestyle events as well as relays for his club, Miami. As usual, he takes the amazing workload in stride: “I think the Trials will be a good test to see how I will manage at the Worlds. There’s no 800 at the Olympics, so that’s a bonus,” he jokes.

If his good sense of humor and an easy-going nature are part of what makes Hackett a great distance swimmer, his coach, Denis Cotterell, also points to his mental strength: “Grant’s always had obvious mental toughness even when he was young. With age and experience, he’s developed more resolve and an ability to learn from mistakes and quickly move forward,” says Cotterell.

Hackett followed his older brother, Craig, to the successful Miami club when he was 7. “My relationship with Denis has progressed naturally as I’ve gotten older. We’ve been together a long time, but there have been no real complications working together. We’ve built on each competition as a stepping stone, from winning at age group competitions to breaking a world record,” Hackett explains.

His brother, six years his senior, came agonizingly close to making the ‘92 Olympic team. At the selection trials, he finished sixth in the 200 free and clocked the fourth fastest time overall in the 100 free. Unfortunately, it was in the “B” final and was overlooked. Craig quit the pool after the experience at only 18 and made a successful transition to the ocean in the popular professional surf lifesaving circuit.

Hackett and his brother both live at home with parents Neville and Margaret, although the two will move into a house Grant is building later in the year, which is both close to the pool and Bond University, where he is part way through a commerce/law degree

.

It is clear that part of Hackett’s success comes from the support of his family and the high level of camaraderie in his training squad: “I enjoy living at home and appreciate the support I get from people on the Gold Coast. It’s an honor to be recognized as part of the Gold Coast, and I will always return here even if I spend some time overseas.”

He makes it clear that any time overseas will come after Athens 2004, but the suggestion of taking up a scholarship for a year to get his degree “squared away” might flag immediate attention from U.S. colleges.

Hackett is realistic about his available time until then: “I will put the degree on hold after this semester until after the Olympics, then put swimming on the back seat for a couple of semesters.”

He clearly values his many sponsors and, in particular, his involvement with a leading banking group that gives him the opportunity to attend and speak at boardroom functions, and even attend an occasional golf day.

“I meet and associate with some very interesting people and have learned a lot from my involvement, which is helping to develop my interest in the business field and will hopefully offer some opportunities beyond swimming,” he explains.

Main Focus
Despite these activities, Hackett is careful to point out that swimming must be the main focus right now. He warns: “The more successful you become, the more demands are placed on you. There is always another ball you are asked to juggle. There are times when I find it quite stressful, fitting in the demands, and you have to learn to say ‘no.’”

He admits that with his main focus on the pool, his social life does suffer. There are very few nights out with his mates at the pub, and a full-time relationship is not a realistic proposition, citing the difficulty to commit the time required to make it work.

Hackett has clearly matured both as a swimmer and as an individual this past year, and I ask him if he has done anything specific to develop his mental approach to swimming the longer races.

“There is nothing better than practical experience to develop mental toughness, far better than reading about it in books,” he admits. “I’ve had to deal with competitive pressures, in particular, having to perform at the Sydney Olympics with glandular fever along with the huge national expectations. I was considered the lowest odds to win the 1500, and I’ve dealt with that and come out successfully on the other side,” he explains.

“Now I know I can come up against any situation, and, given that I am physically prepared, mentally, I’ll be able to cope with it. I’ve evolved my own way of dealing with things, which allows me to compete with that extra edge.”

Perkins noticed Hackett’s competitive desire not only during the Olympics, but right after Sydney as well: “His mental strength was demonstrated by the way he got straight back into the pool after the Olympics. That’s the hardest time to switch back into gear mentally.”

Hackett seems to embrace the challenge: “The 1500 is a very tough event to train for, hard to stay consistent. Some people can’t put up with that mentally. Many don’t enjoy training that hard, that long, for that many hours, and do so many other things to keep your fitness, then perform well on one day. It’s tough to do time after time.

“Fortunately, it’s something I enjoy, the training and the challenge of improving. When I get over that feeling, it’s probably time to go,” he laughs. “I aim to get up and show my rivals I can still improve big chunks, that I’m not stopping at 14:34,” he warns.

He speaks of Beijing as though it is squarely in his long-term plan, given continuing health and motivation: “It’s amazing how quickly Athens is coming around. I’ll only be 28 in 2008, and there are lots of swimmers around these days at that age, so I intend to be there at this stage.”

He denies that he is focused on becoming the best distance swimmer of all time. “That is what people put in newspaper articles,” he says. “For me, it’s about keeping it simple, concentrating on your own performance and continuing to enjoy what I do. If you start thinking about other people’s times or records, you shift the focus off yourself. You can only control your own performance, and this is an important part of developing as an athlete,” he concludes.

Just before I’m about to leave the Hackett home, I ask him one last question: “When was the last time you lost a 1500 race?”

Hackett recalls the event as though it were yesterday: April 1996, at the Olympic Trials when he was still 15, he finished fifth behind the great distance swimmers Daniel Kowalski, Perkins and Glen Housman.

Hackett will be shooting for his seventh consecutive national 1500 title in Sydney in just a few weeks.

Stephen J. Thomas, one of Swimming World’s Australian correspondents, is a former editorial consultant to Australian Swimming and Fitness Magazine.