Nothing Stops a Champ!
Grant maybe used to the freezing temperatures of thepool in the early hours of the morning, but still ever since he was fourteen years old Grant has suffered from sinusitis.

Sinusitis is when the sensitive tissue in your sinuses flare up, and in Grants case, causes headaches and the build up of Mucus in his nose, making it difficult to breath.

It definitely affects my performance and I can'tafford to lose a millisecond in a race Grant has previously had surgery to help correct the problem, but that has had little effect. He has also been offered medication, but with the swimming drug code he was unable to take it.

Grant had an operation to improve drainage in his nose, which improved half of the problem. But Grant still suffers from flare-ups. He often suffers from these, especially during summer or winter when he is not always protected from the weather. There is also a problem when these flare ups turn into something more serious, such as in 1999 when he caught the flu just before the Pan Pacs. Grant proved to us he was and amazing swimmer to attempt the 1500 after being ill and then he finished the race in an unbelievable time of 14.45.6min, an impressive personal best and only 4seconds shy of Kieren's world mark.

Last year (2000), Grant had an operation on his Jaw to improve his breathing, and he attended the Australian world champs a few months later at only 80% fit after his operation. Grant must also make sacrifices as to keep up his fitness and avoid sickness by missing exclusive parties and premieres. Its tempting to accept these invitations and have a great time and all those amazing parties and here I am saying no! But my training comes first."

The two contested the 50m freestyle with Marcelo narrowly becoming the victor. Though the fact that Marcelo had been given a 15m head start over Grant might have something to do with it. (Also we know that the 50m free isn't one of Grant's main events) Grant may have been a loser on that day (if in all fairness you could call it that!), it just shows us one of the many things that inspires him and the others around him, it shows us exactly what kind of person he is!

A Message From Sharon:
What would you do? What's the reason, the drive that would make a swimmer go faster? For money or true sportsmanship? For personal pleasure or for your country? If you have an opinion on this issue, please contact me. I'm very interested in what the general public has to say about this.

Sharon Lan