Grant Hackett has a warning for his Olympic rivals after smashing the 800m shortcourse world record yesterday: there’s plenty more where that came from.
Hackett yesterday shaved almost two seconds from his own 2001 record, and is now brimming with confidence ahead of next month’s Beijing Games.
“It’s exciting because I know I have got a lot to come,’’ Hackett told reporters after the race.
“I have been working really hard. The last couple of weeks I’ve really been going for it.
“To see that sort of time here and now is exciting. I know I can swim fast and I have confidence in that.
“But at the same time, I know the others are out there, they’re watching, they’re motivated, they want to get out there and win and I have got to do everything right.
“I don’t know what my rivals are going to do. They will obviously be swimming well, so I’m not going to get ahead of myself.’’
It’s a far cry from the ridicule Hackett received over a photo taken in May which led critics to suggest the dual Olympic champion was overweight and unfit – despite the fact he had just swum 10km.
The Australian swim team captain has now joined his coach and training partners in Singapore, where he will spend the week in training before linking up with the rest of the team in Kuala Lumpur on the weekend.
