Grant Hackett Turns 40, Marking Half-a-Lifetime Since Dethroning Perkins

Legendary Australian distance swimmer Grant Hackett turns 40 on Saturday, a marked milestone almost 20 years after Hackett won his first Olympic gold medal at the 2000 Games in the 1500 free.

Half-a-lifetime ago, Hackett battled his countrymate Kieren Perkins, the two-time defending champion in the event, at the 2000 Olympic Games. While Perkins already had plenty of hardware on his shelf to cement his legacy, this race, in front of a home crowd in Sydney between up-and-comer Hackett, was a battle for the throne between the aging but still capable Perkins and the young upstart Hackett who wished to ascend the tower. Perkins was the outright favorite among the home crowd, but Hackett, in spite of a virus that plagued his swims earlier in the week, was determined to top the tower.

In the race, Hackett set the pace early, an unusual tactic for him, and grew his lead to eventually win by more than 5 seconds. His 14:48.33 didn’t seriously challenge Perkins’ World Record, though a year later at the 2001 World Championships he would obliterate that mark, by 7 seconds, in 14:34.56.

From 1997 through 2004, Hackett dominated the event globally. In spite of a 1998 World Championship preceding this win, though, the 2000 swim was the one that made him the new distance king.

Watch that race below:

Hackett’s World Record in Fukuoka:

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6-Beat Kick
3 years ago

Still the greatest male distance swimmer of all time, in my opinion.

Khachaturian
3 years ago

Distance Legend

DCSWIM
3 years ago

Crazy to think he held the WR in the 200 free before he held the 1500

Joe
Reply to  DCSWIM
3 years ago

On a banter club relay as well. Still can’t get over that he “accidentally” broke a WR.

Togger
3 years ago

Hackett was overshadowed by Thorpe, but he really was an incredible swimmer.

His 400, 800 and 1500 PBs are all quicker than the American records, 15 plus years after they were swum.

Texas Tap Water
Reply to  Togger
3 years ago

Hackett also broke 200 free WR (Giorgio Lambertti legendary WR) before Thorpe.

GA Boy
3 years ago

Thank you Olympic committee for plugging the leak of these videos! We are forever thankful!

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Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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