Hackett makes history

original link

Champion Australian swimmer Grant Hackett has cruised to victory in the 1500m freestyle final at the world championships in Montreal.

He is the first swimmer to win the same event at four world championships.

Hackett qualified in second position, behind Welshman David Davies, but immediately proved his pre-final performance was more warm-up than genuine form.

He went straight to the front and pulled away from the field, earning a six-second buffer by the 500-metre mark.

While none of Hackett’s rivals could catch him, the Australian ace could not quite catch himself - his own world record, that is.

He was only one second behind his record time at the 500-metre mark, but cruised for the rest of the race, eventually slipping back 5.51 seconds at the 1300-metre mark.

Into the last 100 metres, the only question was far how below the 15-minute barrier he would go. In fact, he did it easily, winning in 14:42:58, the fourth-fastest 1500m time in history, but still eight seconds behind his world record.

Hackett was followed home by American Larsen Jensen and Davies.
AdvertisementAdvertisement

Hackett admitted after the race the exertion had left him exhausted.

“By the last 100 metres, I just wanted to get to the end,” he told the Nine network.

When asked about winning his fourth consecutive title, Hackett said: “It’s not something I tried to focus on before the race … but it was certainly an honour.

“It’s one of those meets that you savour.”

Hackett also reaffirmed a belief he could beat his own world record.

“I know I’m a lot faster than the times that I’ve done, particularly in the 1500 metres.”

Earlier, Libby Lenton won gold in the women’s 50m freestyle.

Lenton, swimming in lane three, came from behind to reel in Marleen Veldhuis of the Netherlands in the closing 10 metres.

“I just came here wanting to get better than the bronze,” Lenton told the Nine network.

Jade Edmistone earlier took out the 50m breaststroke title in a world record time.

Edmistone won in a time of 30.45 seconds, lowering British turned Kiwi Swimmer Zoe Baker’s record by 0.12 of a second.

Fellow Australian Brooke Hanson came third in a time of 30.89.

The results mean Australia’s women have made a clean sweep of all the 50m events at the championships.

And Aristeidis Grigoriadis of Greece has beaten Australia’s Matt Welsh to win the men’s 50 metres breaststroke final.

Grigoriadis won the gold in a time 24.95 seconds after a close finish in which the first six swimmers were separated by less than half a second.

Welsh secured second place in 24.99 with Liam Tancock of Britain third in 25.02.

Germany’s world record holder Thomas Rupprath was sixth in 25.38.