By John Lohn
Photos by Peter H. Bick
MONTREAL, Canada, July 27. HE’S the greatest distance swimmer in history. Already the owner of the world record in the 1,500 freestyle, Australia’s Grant Hackett added the 800 free global standard to his resume on Wednesday night. Dominating from the start, Hackett was timed in an eye-popping 7:38.65, erasing the former world mark of his countryman, Ian Thorpe. At the 2001 World Champs, Thorpe was timed in 7:39.16.
Hackett was under world-record pace the entire race and split a ridiculous 3:47.17 at the 400-meter mark. At one point, Hackett was five-plus seconds under the global-record pace. Hackett’s victory complemented an earlier decision in the 400 free and a silver medal in the 200 free. He still has the 1,500 ahead, where he’ll try for a fourth straight title, a feat never accomplished in world-championship competition.
The most recent gold medal was Hackett’s ninth from four trips to the World Championships and his 15 overall medals are a record. Hackett also boasts five silver medals and a bronze from the World Champs. He is the two-time defending Olympic champ in the 1,500 free and will also contest the 800 free relay before the week concludes.
En route to the silver medal, the United States’ Larsen Jensen blasted his own American record, as he navigated through the water in 7:45.63. Jensen’s former standard stood at 7:48.09. Jensen still has the 1,500 free on the schedule, an event in which he won silver in Athens. Russia’s Yuri Prilukov claimed bronze in 7:46.64. Prilukov earlier won silver in the 400 free.
Poland’s Przemyslaw Stanczyk was fourth (7:50.83) and Tunisia’s Ous Mellouli was fifth with a mark of 7:51.03. The field was rounded out by Great Britain’s David Davies in sixth (7:51.54), Poland’s Lukasz Drzewinski (7:58.62) and France’s Sebastien Rouault (8:03.52).
