Grant can’t hack it in 10k swim
May 6, 2008
Australia’s Grant Hackett was hoping to add the 10k open water swim to his still water program for the Beijing Olympics. He has qualified for the 400m and 1500m swims as part of the Australian Olympic swimming team.
It is not enough that he is going for history as the first man to win three consecutive 1500m Olympic titles. He wanted more.
To reach the Olympics as an open water swimmer Hackett was required to place in the top 10 in the 10-kilometre event at the FINA World Open Water Championships in Seville, Spain.
The best Hackett could do in the rough and tumble world of open water swimming was finnish 15th. In the end the champion Australian swimmer was disqualified for swimming over a competitors legs. So the dream is over for Hackett.
Hackett has received some flack in the press in recent days due to an unflattering look as he emerged from the water at the end of the race. It appears that he has a bit of a bulging belly. I would like to see the journalists critical of Hackett try to squeeze into a swimsuit as he was wearing.
In good news for Australian swimming, Ty Hurst, the former iron man champion qualified for Beijing after placing 5th in the same race. It is the fulfillment of a 20 year dream for the 27 year old Australian.
Hurst in the past starred on the iron man circuit. Something he walked away from to chase his Olympic dream.
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