Grant Hackett, one of the greatest swimmers and distance swimmers in history, has been immortalized in his own song.
The Australian 7-time Olympic medalist (including three golds) is the subject of a tune performed by his countryman Ken McDonald on his newest album “Ramshackle Junction.” McDonald writes about “80 k’s a week’ and ‘4,000 k’s a year,’ and also references “14:34.56” – the time that Hackett swam at the 2001 World Championships in the 1500 meter freestyle to break the World Record by over 7 seconds, and to hold that record for a decade.
Listen to the song below, and click here to purchase the song for download. The lyrics are below the song.
Tall muscled packet
Green and gold jacket
You want to beat the best be my guest
Have a crack at Mr Hackett
80 k’s a week
4,000 k’s a year
A lifetime of swimming
A lap around the world
Is that a bit too far
Swim around the world
To win a pot of gold
Are you feeling hungry
Are you feeling bold/cold/old
You want to have a go
Go and attack it
There can be no shame
But can you hack it
Won more gold
Than a Kalgoorlie mine
Like a swim machine
Up and down a black line
10,000 hours
To make it to the top
A lifetime of swimming
30 million strokes
Thought he’d never stop
Fourteen thirty four
Point five six
Lasted 10 years
Yeah mate it’s pretty quick
Only 80 k’s a week
4000 k’s a year
A lifetime of swimming
A lap around the world
Is that peculiar
I will never forget when I met grant. It was at the 2003 Duel In The Pool in Indianapolis. I was 13 and was help on deck at the meetwith ny dad.eWe were sitting down on the deck by the Diving well when Grant Hackett got out of the pool after a loosen up swim and sat right next to me( I had just done a report on him at school about his dominance in the distance event’s). not only that but he started talking to me and my dad. I learned a lot and that 30 minute conversation that I had with him. Stuff that is stuck with me since then. He ended up giving me one of the… Read more »