SYDNEY, Australia, November 21. HE'S already battled through a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery. Now, Grant Hackett has revealed he fights asthma, though it will not affect his record pursuit at next year's Olympic Games in Beijing. In China, Hackett will try to win his third consecutive gold medal in the 1500 freestyle.
Hackett, also planning to contest the 10K open-water event in Beijing, was diagnosed in September and doctors informed him that he's long been an asthmatic. He simply adjusted to having the condition, which is not severe in his case.
"I have never had what you would call an asthma attack, but the doctors think I've always been a low-grade asthmatic," Hackett said in a piece by The Australian. "They say I just got used to having my breathing inhibited, and that it is exacerbated by swimming so hard and also by chlorine."