Hackett prompts rookies to fill gap

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A GAPING hole has appeared in one of the nation’s strongest events, the men’s 200m freestyle, for next year’s world championships in Montreal.

Former world record-holder Grant Hackett has confirmed he will not contest the individual 200m next year, and Olympic champion Ian Thorpe is considering skipping the world titles altogether.

Between them, Hackett and Thorpe have dominated the national 200m ranks for the past five years but both want to scale back their race commitments in 2005 to refresh themselves for the 2007 world championships in Melbourne and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Given Hackett’s health problems this year — he competed in Athens with fluid in his lungs after a bout of pneumonia in February — he is loath to overload his competition program.

He is also mindful of the increased competition in his core distance events from the young Olympic 1500m medallists Larsen Jensen and David Davies, who both swam into the 14:40s in Athens.

“The (world titles) program is back to the 800m being on the same day as the 200m, so they interfere with each other and I want to focus on the distance stuff this season,” Hackett said.

“I can’t keep trying to spread myself too thin. I would rather come away with good results in the 400m, 800m and 1500m.”

He still plans to be part of the 4×200m freestyle relay.

New national coach Alan Thompson is philosophical about the prospect of losing his two 200m guns for the first major championship where he will lead the team.

“If we can get four more years out of those boys — with Melbourne in 2007 and Beijing in 2008 — that’s where we really want them to perform,” Thompson said.

“If Grant and Ian go hell for leather now we may not have that. And who knows what it may unearth in our 200m stocks. It (losing Hackett and Thorpe) may not be the best thing for the team in the short term, but it might be in the long term.

“We have people like Nick Sprenger (Olympic relay silver medallist), who’s young but quite experienced now. Once those kids see a little bit of light — and a lot of those guys haven’t seen any light with Ian and Grant there — it might give them the incentive they need.”

The opportunity will be there not only for the next generation, but for the previous one.

Michael Klim was the world 200m champion before Thorpe annexed the event, but has not swum it as an individual event since the Sydney Olympics.

However Klim’s coach Ian Pope said they would consider it in the light of the vacancies.

“I wouldn’t close the door on it — no way,” Pope said.

Pope also believes 20-year-old Olympic backstroker Patrick Murphy has considerable promise as a freestyler and will be another contender.

Hackett exhorted Australia’s young freestylers to grab the opportunity which was opening for them.

“In the post-Olympic period a lot of young swimmers can make the most of that — that’s where my opportunity arose (when Kieren Perkins took time off after the 1996 Olympics),” he said.

Hackett said he would reserve the right to challenge for a place in the 200m again.