Rice Steams To World Record

The Sunday Age

Sunday March 23, 2008

Stathi Paxinos, Sydney

IN AN extraordinary night at the Olympic trials, Commonwealth champion Stephanie Rice last night smashed the 400 metres individual medley world record and Grant Hackett produced a stellar performance to win the 400 freestyle.

Rice, whose partner Eamon Sullivan broke the 50 metres freestyle world record last month, was on the pace throughout and touched in four minutes 31.46 seconds, bettering American star Katie Hoff's 4:32.89.

"It's amazing, I really didn't know I was getting that fast. I broke the world record, that's been my goal. it's amazing," Rice said.

Promising 17-year-old Samantha Hamill also earned Olympic selection, coming in second with a 4:41.61.

For Hackett, it seems like only yesterday there were legitimate doubts over the future career of Australia's swimming royalty.

Now, less than a year later, the Australian team captain is not only headed to his third Olympics, but he showed last night his rivals should dismiss him at their own peril, and the hopes of a 400-1500 metres double in China are alive and kicking.

It was March last year when Hackett produced one of his worst meetings.Not only did his 10-year undefeated reign in 1500 finals come to an end, he was languishing in seventh spot and suddenly questions were being raised over his future.

But Hackett never had any intentions of pulling the plug on the pool. He was determined to get back to his best, and last night at the Olympic selection trials at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, he showed he can still swim fast.

In winning the 400 freestyle final in a time of three minutes 43.15 seconds, Hackett posted a time faster than South Korean Park Tae Hwan's swim to win the word championship in Melbourne last year.

Hackett's time was the fastest swum in the event since he went 3:42.91 at the 2005 Montreal world titles, and is not too far away from his personal-best of 3:42.51 in 2001.

"That's just half a second off my best time ever," Hackett said. "To do that sort of swim here at the trials, it's exciting and I'm just really bloody happy to swim fast again.

"It's so close to (three minutes) 42 seconds as well, you almost go "damn", but it's reliving in some sense to see that time again and like I said, it's good to swim fast again and now I can capitalise on that base that foundation that I've built and really move forward from here.

"I think that's the fastest time in the past few years so I'm definitely in the mix (for Beijing)," he said. "Guys like Park, he's going to improve and he'll be down will be down there. But I'm not going to focus on those guys or worry about it, I'm just going to focus on where I can go and where I can take my swimming."

Just as it was four years ago, Hackett was first and Craig Stevens was second - posting a personal best time of 3:46.64 but unlike back then, there was no controversy.

Back in 2004 Ian Thorpe fell into the pool during the heats and was disqualified. Stevens made the team in his place and later gave his spot in the event to Thorpe who would go on and win gold in Greece,

There is no Thorpe now so Stevens can have a relaxing week thinking about another Olympic appearance, instead of having to avoid the media pestering him about whether he would surrender the spot.

"There was a bit of ducking and weaving and getting out of the way in 2004," Stevens said. "It's a different situation I guess, and Ian sent me a text yesterday and wished me all the best.

"For me to come out and swim a PB shows everything is going well and things are on track."

Australian head coach Alan Thompson never doubted his captain would be back. Thompson said that while everyone was talking about Hackett's possibly being over, he knew after speaking with Hackett back then, that he would be motivated by his disappointing performances.

"I've believed he was capable of swimming fast times again, ever since he turned the page after the world championships and moved forward from there," Thompson said. "He's made a lot of changes in his personal life and training and it will be interesting to see where that takes him this year."

Meanwhile, the opening swim final of last night provided the first heart-break of this year's Olympic campaign after national champion 400 metres individual medley national champion Adam Lucas failed to qualify, leaving Australia with only one representative in Beijing.

Lucas was left in Travis Nederpelt's wake as the West Australian, who now trains alongside Hackett in Ian Pope's Victorian-based squad, took control in the later stages to win in 4:16.31.

Lucas was second in 4:19.07, outside the necessary Olympic "A" qualifying time of 4:18.40.

© 2008 The Sunday Age

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