original link

HE LAMENTS that he doesn’t even win Monopoly when he’s at home with the family. He had to settle for third place in the Welsh Personality of the Year Awards in 2004. David Davies has never been a “favourite”.

But with Grant Hackett out of the Commonwealth Games with an injured shoulder, Welsh 1500 metres freestyler Davies is the hot tip for gold in an event won by an Australian since 1954.

“It’s like a fairytale,” Davies said yesterday. “The Aussies have won this event for the last 50 years; now we’ve come to Australia and I’m the favourite. Grant Hackett’s not here … But I can’t get sucked into that fairytale stuff because I’ve still got a hard race to do.”

When Davies arrived to train on the Gold Coast six weeks ago, Hackett held a dinner party at which Davies and his coach, Dave Haller, were at “the top” of the guest list. “Myself and Dave went to dinner with him and his coach,” Davies said. “We had a chat, we got on really well and we have a lot of respect for each other.” So did Hackett have any advice for Davies? “Take up sprinting,” quipped Haller.

Davies grew up watching Hackett on television, never believing he would one day rival the Australian. But with Hackett out injured, Davies’s time has come.

“I’ve been the bridesmaid on several occasions - I don’t even win Monopoly at Christmas time at my house,” he said. It would be great to win something. Hopefully it can happen.”

A gold would be remarkable, because at the age of 15 Davies couldn’t even win a national title in Britain. Yet his transformation accelerated with bronze medals at the Athens Olympics and last year’s world championships, when on both occasions he trailed Hackett. “David hasn’t reached his potential yet - he’s still growing,” Haller said. “He’s still learning how to swim the race. It’s Hackett with his world record at No.1, then Kieren Perkins … David’s No.4 on the all-time list, but he’s still got room for improvement.”

Although Davies has had enough of bronze, he was disappointed when he heard Hackett would not be swimming. “I thought someone was pulling my leg, to be honest,” he said. “The reason I train hard every day is to go against the best in the world. There’s no doubt that Grant [has been] the best in the world in my event for the past eight years. To go against him in his home country and Games like this would have been an amazing thing. I’m sad he’s not here.”

Davies could claim Wales’s first Commonwealth Games gold medal in the pool since 1974.