GRANT HACKETT is back in charge of distance freestyle after a stellar outing at the national short course championships in Hobart.

Eight months after he had shoulder surgery which ruled him out of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, and weeks after announcing his engagement to Melbourne singer Candice Alley, Hackett made a spectacular return to his signature distance, the 1500m, last night.

In his first race over the distance for a year, he swam faster than any other swimmer in history, putting in the second fastest time of 14:19.47. Only his own world record of 14:10.10 is quicker.

In a 25m pool, he lapped the first of his competitors after just 500m and by 1000m had lapped the field. Some were lapped twice.

It has been more than 10 years since Hackett lost a 1500m race and he said afterwards he had lost none of his touch.

“We were aiming for around 14:30 and doing anything under that was a bonus,” Hackett said. “It was good to get a good one out first up.

“I am not as unfit as I thought I was. It felt no different from before, they all hurt.

“I was wondering where my pain tolerance was at, but it was the same as usual and I had to push through the same mental barriers.

“But it’s nice to be back on top and swimming fast again.

“That time would have won the world short course titles by a few seconds, so to be ahead of the guy who’s number one (Russian Yuri Prilukov) this year is very exciting.”

Hackett had been just as impressive in Saturday night’s 400m freestyle final, where he set the fastest time in the world for three years, 3:35.73.

The next generation of Australian men also began to assert itself in Hobart, led by 20-year-old Queenslander Leith Brodie, who matched his 100m individual medley record on Sunday night, with an even more impressive record in the 200m last night.

Former world champion Matt Dunn had held the national record for seven years before Brodie trumped it last night. He sliced 0.04sec from the previous mark, setting a time of 1:55.77.

Young Australian Institute of Sport sprinter Kirk Palmer upset former world short-course champion Ashley Callus to win his first national open title in the blue riband 100m freestyle.

Palmer, 19, only just qualified for the final and swam in the outside lane but started brilliantly and the experienced Callus could not peg him back in the last lap. He won in a personal best time of 48.52sec, with Callus second (48.65sec) and 18-year-old Kenrick Monk third (48.97sec).

But the youngest winner of the evening was 16-year-old Angie Bainbridge, who has announced herself as the new force in women’s middle-distance freestyle at this meet.

With new-found confidence from her 400m victory on Sunday night, Bainbridge tussled with triple Olympic gold medallist Jodie Henry and Commonwealth Games relay gold medallist Kelly Stubbins for the 200m title, and emerged triumphant.

The tall, blonde schoolgirl from Newcastle has been transformed in six months training with Henry at the Australian Institute of Sport.

“I love the training down there,” she said.

“It’s made a big difference training with people like Jodie. I don’t get so nervous in competition with them any more.”

She took three seconds from her best time to win in 1:56.67 and jump to seventh on the national all-time list.

Stubbins was second in 1:57.30 with Henry third (1:57.70).

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