14.06.2007 | 17:06
Hackett wins 1500 freestyle for second time
Grant Hackett
Australia's Grant Hackett won the 1500 metres freestyle at the Athens Olympics to become just the fourth man to win the race twice at the Olympics.
Hackett, unbeaten in the event for seven years, led all the way to win gold in 14 minutes 43.40 seconds, breaking the Olympic record set by his fellow Australian Kieren Perkins at Barcelona in 1992.
But the Australian, who went into the Olympics as unbackable favourite, was pushed all the way by American Larsen Jensen and Briton David Davies.
After trailing by more than three seconds with a kilometre still to go, Jensen gradually clawed his way back and was just 0.16 seconds behind at the bell lap.
But the American, promised $1 million if he could beat Hackett and break his world record of 14:34.56, was unable to respond when Hackett started to sprint the last 100 and the Australian pulled away to win by three metres.
Jensen held on for the silver in 14:45.29, the third fastest time ever, with the bronze going to Davies in a European record time of 14:45.95.
Hackett also won the 1500 gold in Sydney and joins American Mike Burton (1968, 1972), Russia's Vladimir Salnikov (1980, 1988) and fellow Australian Kieren Perkins(1992, 1996) as the only men to win the event twice.
Hackett had qualified third fastest in Friday's heats but stamped his authority on the final from the start, setting off at a cracking pace.
He completed his first 100 metres in 55.14 seconds, faster than the time John Devitt swam to win the 100 metres sprint at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
He reached the 200 mark in a faster time than Michael Wenden swam to win the 200 metres final at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
With 1300 metres still to go, Hackett kept up the pace, passing through 400 in 3:53.46, better than Brad Cooper's winning time for the eight-lap final in 1972.
His early speed inevitably took its toll but he was still able to churn through his last 100 in 56.08, quicker than Johnny "Tarzan" Weissmuller's time for his back-to-back 100 metres Olympic wins in the 1920s.
Filed by James Boylan