While Thorpe’s away, Hackett makes his mark

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WHILE Grant Hackett was breaking the 800m freestyle world record in Montreal yesterday, the man whose title he snatched was lying on his chiropractor’s bench in Sydney.

Ian Thorpe, who is taking a year off competition to pursue his business and fashion interests and stay fresh for next year’s Commonwealth Games, did his best to keep a low profile to avoid stealing the limelight from his long-time rival.

Hackett took half a second off the record Thorpe set in Fukuoka four years ago to claim his second gold medal of this year’s world championships, to go with his 400m freestyle title.

“I’m extremely happy for him,” Thorpe said yesterday. “Delighted. He deserves it. Grant works so hard, so success should come his way.

“He deserves to own the 800m world record, being a distance swimmer.”

Hackett has always believed he is Thorpe’s equal in the pool. As great as Thorpe proved in middle-distance freestyle, Hackett has known he could be equally great as a distance swimmer.

Hackett has long believed that the supreme distance swimmer should hold the 800m and 1500m freestyle world records and that, despite his two Olympic 1500m gold medals, he would not be truly great until he had done so. Already holding the 1500m record, he stopped the clock in the 800m yesterday at 7min 38.65sec, beating Thorpe’s world mark of 7:39.16.

He said afterwards that breaking a Thorpe record gave him “absolute credibility” at the distance.

“Breaking a world record is nice no matter whose it is,” Hackett said. “But when it’s Ian’s, it’s always a little bit extra satisfying, knowing how much of a good competitor he is.

“I’ve broken that world record twice before and finished second to him, so it’s nice to get under that mark and produce a great swim.”

Throughout their careers, Thorpe and Hackett have been inextricably linked. They have exchanged text messages this week and Hackett said he appreciated the absent Thorpe’s support.

But when the two are compared, opinion almost inevitably favours Thorpe, whose five Olympic gold medals make him Australia’s greatest Games athlete.

While Hackett captains the Australian team in Montreal, Thorpe is training in Sydney at the Sutherland Aquatic Centre under coach Tracey Menzies.

His routine includes two daily sessions in the pool and recovery work with massage therapists and chiropractors, as well as boxing, yoga and weightlifting.