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'Don't write off Hackett'
20/03/2008 14:30 - (SA)
Sydney - No one should doubt Australian Grant Hackett's ability to claim his third Olympic gold medal in the 1500m freestyle at this year's Beijing Games, head coach Alan Thompson said on Thursday.
Heading into this weekend's Olympic trials, Thompson said the world record holder has come a long way since last year's world championships when he struggled home in seventh place in the 1500m.
Poland's Mateusz Sawrymowicz ended Hackett's four-title world domination of the 1500m at the worlds and South Korean Park Tae-Hwan completed Hackett's misery by upsetting the defending champion in the 400m freestyle.
"A lot of people in Australia wondered whether Grant would continue on swimming after the world championships last year, or whether he could get back to his best," Thompson told a press conference ahead of Saturday's Olympic trials.
"I would suggest, though, we'll be waiting for the Olympic Games to see Grant at his absolute, absolute best, but he may surprise us all again."
Off the back of solid performances in Europe and a win in the 1500m at the Japan Open, Thompson said Hackett looked set to perform well over the next week at the trials.
Great value
"I don't think we should ever doubt a champion like Grant," he said.
"He's certainly of great value to our team.
"As the team captain he may only talk to the team once or maybe twice... but what he does in the pool is something that is very important to our team and he's a great leader without standing up and talking about it, and just leading by his example.
"(At the world championships in Melbourne) I don't think his performances affected our team in a negative way. I think a lot of people felt for him, but when Grant performs very well they certainly affect our team in a very positive way."
Hackett, who holds the 1500m world record at 14:34.56, set at the 2001 Fukuoka world championships, is scheduled to hold a pre-meet press conference on Friday.
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