Time Will Tell If Someone Can Jump Out Of The Box and Long Standing 800m Freestyle World Record of Grant Hackett
When Grant Hackett set swimming’s oldest world record in the short course 800m freestyle 14 years ago at the Melbourne Sports And Aquatic Centre he produced one his fastest 50 splits on the final two laps.
In 2008 Hackett smashed his own world mark, which had been set post the FINA Long Course World’s in Fukuoka in 2001, where he and Ian Thorpe had gone head-to head for the first time over 800m freestyle internationally with Thorpe winning in a thrilling showdown.
The world 400m champion verses the world 1500m over the vacant 800m distance.
Thorpe won in the new world record time of 7:39.16 ahead of Hackett’s 7:40.34 in one of the great duels in the pool.
TICKED ALL THE BOXES: Grant Hackett – one of the all-time greats. Photo Courtesy: Con Chronis (Swimming Australia).
The pair went straight to Perth for the 2001 Australian Short Course Championships but Thorpie handed the 800m to Hackett who set a new world mark of 7:25.28
It lasted seven years until Hackett again launched himself at his own WR at the 2008 Victorian Open Championships – powering home the last 50m in a crazy 26.13 to touch in a new WR time of 7.23.42 – the mark that stands today some 14 years later.
Hackett had learnt a lot between 2001 and 2008 – like keeping his powder dry over the first 150m – ensuring he had enough petrol in the tank over the last 150m.
He had split 25.39 for his opening 50m in 2008 compared to 25.05 in 2001 and 52.92 compared to 52.68 in 2001 but from then on it was game on – the Denis Cotterell and Ian Pope trained Hackett splitting the 200m and 400m faster in 2008 – and ripping out that 26.13 for the final 50m, compared to his 26.72 in 2001.
It was the third fastest 50m split of any of his 800m WR splits from those two amazing standards.
And if anyone is going to break that mark when over 1000 swimmers converge again at the Melbourne Sports And Aquatic Centre between December 13 and 17 for the 2022 Fina World Short Course Championships they will have to be in the best form of their lives.
Hackett, now 42 and looking as fit as ever, will be poolside with the Australian Dolphins when Australia welcomes the world down under for the first time since the 2007 Fina World Long Course Championships – which were also in Melbourne.
Now living and working in the banking industry in Melbourne, Hackett will be part of the National team in an athlete support role.
IN THE LIMELIGHT: Grant Hackett at Brighton. Photo Courtesy: Con Chronis
And yesterday he joined 2022 triple Australian breaststroke champion Sam Williamson at Melbourne’s iconic colourful Brighton Bathing Boxes – nestled on Dendy Street Beach to promote the up-coming World Championships.
For many years in the late 19th century, Brighton (located in the City of Bayside) was Melbourne’s favourite seaside destination and the Brighton bathing boxes are a popular Bayside icon and cultural asset.
(The 82 Brighton bathing boxes and boatsheds are a legacy of how people went about bathing and enjoying the seashore and as a result of the moral standings of the day, bathing boxes had their origins not only in Australia but concurrently on the beaches of England, France and Italy. European bathing boxes exist to this day.)
And appropriately Hackett and Williamson found themselves posing for photos outside a Bathing Box emblazoned with the Australian Team’s dolphin mascot.
And Hackett believes it is time someone else jumped out of the box to set the record straight in his 800m event at these up-coming world titles.
“It’s a surprise that it’s hung around so long,” Hackett told AAP.
“That was the least-rested world record that I’ve done as I was still finishing off my big work block (preparing for the Beijing Olympics) it was just one of those days where I felt really good the day before and just missed the 400 metre world record.
“I thought I might be in with chance with the 800 and it came together, but by no means did I think I’d be standing here in 2022 still talking about it and it still standing.”
FEELING RIGHT AT HOME: Sam Williamson will be flying Victoria’s flag at the World Short Course Championships. Photo Courtesy: Con Chronis (Swimming Australia).
Two swimmers who have come close to the mark Ukrainian Mykhailo Romanchuk (7:25.73 in 2020) and reigning short-course 1500 metre world champion and world record holder Florian Wellbrock (7:27.99 in 2021) won’t be in Melbourne.
Leaving it to Denmark’s Henrik Christiansen (7:25.78 in 2020) and Italy’s Gregorio Paltrineri (7:27.94 in 2021 as the two main contenders.
“The guys are getting super close to it now so I’m sure it’s not too far away from getting broken,” Hackett said.
“Now that it’s an Olympic event it brings the 400 – the middle distance swimmers up and the long-distance guys down – so they meet in a fair event in the middle.
“No doubt we will see some athletes get really close or even get under that record this time around.”
Only time will tell…..
BOXED IN: Brighton’s iconic Bathing Boxes, sure to be a major attraction during the Fina World Short Course Championships. Photo Courtesy: Brighton Bathing Box Association.
Henrik Christiansen is from Norway, not Denmark. I would expect Swimming World Magazine to be more thurough in their research before posting.