Hackett believes his Thorpe rivalry may be over

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GRANT Hackett believes there is a distinct possibility that he may have raced Ian Thorpe over 400 metres for the last time.

The pair have dominated the event in recent years, having finished first and second at three world championships (Hackett won the other one, which Thorpe did not contest), two Commonwealth Games and also at the Athens Olympics. But with Thorpe deciding to focus, for the time being, on the 100 metres freestyle, Hackett feels that their most recent clash — at the 2004 Athens Olympics — could be their last.

“He has been saying for a long time that he wanted to focus on the sprints and that’s what he is doing, and full credit to him for sticking by his word,” Hackett said yesterday.

“That’s where he sees his focus now and that’s where his motivation is and that’s where he wants to achieve, and I guess we have to support that and I certainly do.

“If he never swims another 400 again, so be it. What he has done in that event … is second to none. I think he can depart from that race and be totally content. I’d love to see him back there again, but whether we do or don’t, we’ll have to wait and see. But it’s not a nice thought to think that I won’t race him again (in the 400). I’ll definitely miss that.”

While Thorpe is aiming at the sprints at the moment, with the lure of a third consecutive Olympic 400 title beckoning in Beijing, surely he will return to the middle-distance for a shot at history in becoming the first man to win the same swimming event at three successive Olympics? “Ian is different to everyone else and some things that other people care about he doesn’t really care about at all,” Hackett said.

“So winning a third gold medal (in the 400) might not mean anything to him. He’s already won five gold medals at the Olympics, and just winning a third individual gold medal (at three consecutive Olympics) is just as good as winning a third consecutive gold medal in the same event, I think. I don’t think it will really worry him if it’s in the 400 or 200 or 100 or 50.”

Hackett might consider taking a break from his pet event, the 1500, after the Beijing Games. He feels he still hasn’t achieved his best in the 200 and 400 and to do so he would need to focus his training around those races.

“I feel like I’ve got more to give in the 400. I might get to that stage where I drop it (the 1500) for a year and come back to it.”

Hackett has no intentions of giving up the 1500 at the moment. He may miss all the major events next year, but aims to swim “a fast 1500 at some venue around the world”.