In December Grant Hackett talked about a possible comeback, it now looks like that process is well under way.
“He’s way beyond what we thought he would do to start with,’’ Hackett’s long time coach Denis Cotterell told the Australian.
“He did 10 sessions the week before last. He’s hard to stop once he gets going. He’s building up well and he’s swimming competitively with the squad”.
In his career Hackett has won 17 World Championships and seven Olympic medals, including back to back Olympic gold in the men’s 1500 freestyle. He is currently training with a group of young stars which includes Thomas Fraser-Holmes, Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships 200 freestyle gold medalist.
The Australian reports that Hackett originally was only supposed to be training with Cotterell three or four times a week, but that has now changed.
“He’s loving it. He feels really comfortable with the other guys. He’s in his element and he’s so happy being there,’’ said Cotterell.
Since Hackett now has to go through the process of getting his name back on the drug testing registry he will not be eligible to compete until March 1st.
Because of this fact Cotterell has set up a time trial this weekend where Hackett will race for the first time in approximately six and a half years.
Just as many swimmers who have attempted comebacks Hackett will be focusing on a shorter events, “He will swim the 200m because that’s the easiest thing to try to prepare for,’’ said Cotterell.
This is a great way for the legendary swimmer to start the new year as 2014 is one that he surely wants to put behind him. In 2014 he was involved in a bizarre incident in a hotel where his son went missing (he was eventually found) and he also went through a rehabilitation program in the United States for what many have thought to be a dependency on Stilnox.
It appears that Hackett will be ready for the Australian World Championship Trials which begin on April 1st.
Grant Hackett is, and has always been a class act… He will either make the cuts, or he won’t. Best of luck to him in and out of the pool!
Re previous comment “Let’s be honest it doesn’t matter what Grant does, he is one of the greats. And seriously who are we to set the expectation in what is HIS sport”
Interesting dialogue , it’s funny how we all assume with any come back of one of our greats they are aspiring to be go beyond their previous exploits.
Let’s be honest it doesn’t matter what Grant does , he is one of the greats . And seriously who are we to set the expectation in what is his sport .
Let’s celebrate he is clean , fit and still enjoying this wonderful sport and will be a great role model for Miami swimmers and Australian swimming
Great discussion above. I think the difference is a psychological one. Older swimmers making a comeback don’t want to put in the training to do the big stuff. They say to themselves, “Eh, I could probably pull off a 200 free couldn’t I?” The shorter events are always easier to do. Not everyone can do them (due to physiology) but they are easier.
The 200 was one of Grants first world records. He broke long term Girgio lamberti’s record as part of the Miami club relay .
it is likely a sentimental favourite but he had business to do for the 1500 . Grant finished school at 17 & university on schedule – so he was pretty maxed out for time. No one could have asked for more .
Now he can revisit the 200 . He has done it 1000 x better than thorpe .
What is Hacketts age?
42 .
Actually, he will be 35 this year.
Busted! Just trying to help Hank get to the next galaxy .
Swum, that’s an interesting question… especially since most research suggests that we lose more fast-twitch fibers than slow-twitch fibers, as we age. I’d guess it mostly has to do with the dominant training regimens we’ve seen in swimming – vastly more volume and more repeats than any runner would do, for a comparable-length (in time) race. A freestyle or butterfly swim stroke is not a natural motion and almost every serious swimmer deals with tendinitis by their late teens or 20s. As you get even older, you can’t sustain normal distance regimens (physically and possibly mentally) so shorter races are the default. I imagine that could change if athletes find a way to successfully train for distance races, with less… Read more »
Yeah ,from what I can gather about how elites train, 10k runners might run twenty times that distance in a week, and 1500 meter swimmers might swim sixty times that distance in a week. So perhaps guys like Grant just cannot physically move his arms that much week after week anymore. It seems like I read a lot more about the running overuse injuries that end careers than I do swimmers. But I may just be ignorant of what makes it impossible to swim at these mind boggling levels year after year.
It seems that runners hit a ceiling in their twenties with foot speed, but can maintain 100 plus miles a week training and carry that speed into… Read more »
I really enjoy following the stories of former swimming champions attempting to compete again at a world class level. Does anyone know why older competitive runners usually move up to longer distance events to remain competitive, while the opposite is true is swimming?
Happy to see him back and enjoying swimming again . The rest for him can’t be predicted so easely Aswimfan .
If he wants to get selected for a relay spot, he will have to beat one of:
Thomas F-H, McEvoy, Mckeon, Horton, McKendry, and Herzog, all of whom can swim sub 1:47
I just can’t see it happening.
You have a very valid argument but, don’t pass up the fact that it is flat out inspiring that Grant Hacket is just out there going for a spot. He was always one of my favorites to watch as a child so, I can’t wait to see him compete and get after the competition. He is way too fierce and dedicated not to make it uninteresting at the very least.