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| Exclusive! Story written by Grant Hackett himself, one right before the Olympic selection trials and one after it! FIRST PART (BEFORE THE OLYMPIC SELECTION TRIALS) I've always said I want to race Kieren Perkins at his peak and it looks like I'm going to get my wish. The word filtering out from Kieren's camp is that he is getting very close to his best and while I suppose a lot of people might think that is bad news for me, I'm really excited by it. I feel I'm swimming well ahead of my best times and given that my 'PB' for the 1500m freestyle is 14min.45sec and Kieren's is his world record 14.41, that could make for quite a show down next Saturday. You just never know with Kieren how he is going to perform. Even when is he's swimming badly, he still acts confidently, although i can believe reports that his body language at the moment is very positive. The guy is so unpredictable. He's been up and down but he's always up at the right time. And one thing i particularly like about Kieren is that he always brings in the crowds. When I walked into the Sydney International Aquatic Centre on Wednesday and looked up and saw the new grandstand they've bulid, I could just imagine how spine-tinging the atmosphere will be at the Olympics in September when there are 17,000 Australians raising the roof here. The top tiers of the stands aren't being used at these championships but even 9,000 people is still a huge crowd in the closed confines of an indoor swimming pool and whatever esle Kieren and i might be crying out for when/if we turn for that final lap locked together, we certainly won't be lacking in spectator support. I've now broken the 15-minute barrier for the 1500m about six times since I first cracked it at the 1998 world titles over in Perth and, while it's never easy, it does become easier once you know what to expect. The question everyone keeps asking me is if I'm going to break Kieren's world record. Realistically, the way my PBs keep dropping by large chunks, the 3.9sec I need shouldn't be that difficult. But that's not the way i allow myself to think. I've trained myself to concentrate on the process, not the outcome. That way I dont's get distracted - and if a world record comes along, all the better. It was interesting to learn that Kieren's coach John Carew, was asking whether I intended to wear my bodysuit in the 1500m final. Actually, I think I'll probably go without it. If i was to break Kieren's world record, I certainly wouldn't like to hear anyone attribute the feat to my swimsuit. I don't think the suit makes a big a difference as some people believe. It's the engine doing the work, not the suit. The suit doesn't make training any easier and, if everyone who likes them is wearing one, then no-one has any advantage. They might be worth a couple of seconds over 1500m but i certainly couldn't see it being worth 10sec like some people are suggesting. Perhaps the main advantage is psychological. Swimmers think they're going to go faster in them, so they do. Apparently Mr Carew believes i'd be silly not to wear the suit when I race Kieren. Well, I'll try to do my best and take my chances after that. The wild card factor in the 1500m final is whether Ian Thorpe swims - and I guess I'm as intrigued by the prospect as everyone esle. It certainly would add another variable to an already interesting mix and I have no doubt that he could shock a lot of people if he did decide to swim the 1500m. Let's fact it - he's capable of swimming a 3min.41sec 400m freestyle (the world record), so how bad could his 1500m time be? Ian's definitely bulit for speed but the 1500m is "only" a 15-minutes swim so I don't have any fears that it's beyond him. Apparently he'll make his decision on the 1500m after he sees how he goes in the 100m freestyle. If he finshes first or second to get an individual swim at the Olympics, then he won't bother. If he doesn't, it looks like Kieren and I will have some interesting company. Without wanting to steer him in the direction of the sprints, I believe the fact that he is starting to concentrate on that event has dramarically lifted Australia's standing in the 4x100m freestyle. None of the top sprinters can relax with Ian breathing down their necks. He has lifted his standard across the board and I'm certain, for instance, that Ian's arrival has made Chris Fydler a better and faster 100m freestyler. It's similar to the impact Michael Kilm has on the 200m freestyle a few years ago. He raised the bar and everyone was forced to respond. I know it made me get my act into gear if I wanted to make the 4x200, freestyle relay. And speaking of that relay, I had mixed feelings when I heard that Don Talbot was arguing that all right 200m freestyle finalists should be selected in the Olympic team if they all swim fast enough - better than 1min.50sec. On one hand, I thought it was a great idea to swim one team in the Olympic heats and then have a completely fresh relay team to use in the final. On the other, I though of my older brother Craig who finished sixth in the 200m freestyle at the 1992 Olympic trials. Only the first five placegetters were selected for Barcelona so he missed the chance to become an Olympican. So when I swim the 200m this week, I'll be dedicating it to him. Written by Grant Hackett. The Sunday Telegraph, May 14th, 2000 SECOND PART(AFTER THE OLYMPIC SELECTION TRIALS) I might buy an argument from some people for saying this... Kieren Perkins is without a doubt Australia's grestest swimmer. Kieren had so much pressure on him coming into yesterday's 1500m freestyle final but he performed magnificently. I know how hard it was on me before the race - and i'd already qualified for the Australian Olympic team. But Kieren had the whole country urging him to win a place in the team so he could have a crack at winning his third straight 1500m Olympic title. So I understood why the crowd was cheering for him yesterday, although I hope when we are both swimming for Australia in the Olympics in September I'll receive the same level of encouragement. It can't have been easy for him, twiddling his thumbs for the four or five days he had to wait between the 200m freestyle final and yesterday's race but he knew what he had to do and he did it. And if he took special satisfaction in rubbing his selection in the noses of those critics who said he couldn't do it, well, he was entitled. I can't believe anyone ever thought he wouldn't come good when it counted. Neither of us quite knew how to react at the finish. The crowd was going off but neither of us was overjoyed at our times so we didn't exactly feel like joining in. I know I felt a bit deflated when I saw 14.56.35 against my name becuase all my training this year had pointed to a much faster swim. But my training had also pointed to some pretty hot times in the 200m and 400m as well and it didnt's happen there either. So I guess I will just have to put yesterday down to experience and concentrate on timing my run into the Olympics perfectly. I tried my best to shake Kieren off yesterday but I never really succeeded. Still, I always knew I had the race under control and I felt I still had a couple of seconds up my sleeve. There has been a lot of talk about Kieren "stalking" me and playing mind games with me. I'm sure he wouldn't do that to a fellow Queenslander. Kieren and I have a good idea how we feel about each other - we're rivals in the pool but out of it we're good friends. If I cant's win the 1500m I hope he does and I'm certain he would say the same about me. Either way, we're both determined to make sure it's Australia 1-2. He, Glen Housman and Daniel Kowalski have established a tradition since Barcelona and I sure don't want to be responsible for the run ending. One thing I do know for certain - we both have to swim a lot faster at the Olympics. Written By Grant Hackett
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