Going out in style: Hackett wins another 1,500

original link

MONTREAL — Grant Hackett swam to a historic victory, then picked up a well-deserved trophy as top man at the world championships.
Advertisement
Click here to find out more!

Michael Phelps? He spent the final night cheering from the stands.

The striking contrast made two things abundantly clear: Hackett is one of the greatest swimmers in history, while Phelps spent a little too much time since the Olympics working the talk-show circuit.

Hackett became the first swimmer to win four straight world titles in the same event, capturing another 1,500-meter freestyle Sunday. No one was close to the 6-foot-6 Australian, even though he appeared to tire a bit at the end of a grueling meet.

“It’s obviously an awesome feeling to achieve something like that and to be the first person in history to do it,” said Hackett, taking the lead role on an Australian team that had to get by without Ian Thorpe. “It’s over, I’ve completed it, and it’s very satisfying for me.”

Hackett won swimming’s version of the mile with a time of 14 minutes, 42.58 seconds. That was eight seconds off his world record but comfortably ahead of American Larsen Jensen, who outraced Great Britain’s David Davies for the silver.

Hackett captured his third individual gold medal — one more than Phelps — to go along with a silver and a bronze. The Aussie stretched out his own record for world championship medals to 17.

“It was feeling a bit tough out there,” Hackett said. “It been a big program, and I’m just happy with the results I got.”

Even though Phelps defeated Hackett in their only head-to-head meeting, the big Aussie was top dog in Montreal. He set a world record — there were nine in all during the meet — and received the FINA trophy as top male swimmer.

“It was great to watch him race,” U.S. women’s coach Jack Bauerle said. “Very inspiring.”

Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry, who won two golds and two silvers, was named the best female.

The United States, which led the medal count with 15 golds and 32 overall, received the award as top team. It was the Americans’ largest medal haul at the world championships since 1982.

“This meet has been incredible for everyone, world records here and there, and I think the U.S. team has done so well,” said 16-year-old Katie Hoff, who capped a brilliant meet by winning the 400 individual medley — her third gold medal.