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Swimming champion Grant Hackett is on track to make a comeback and claim his third Olympic gold medal in his pet event, the 1500m freestyle, according to Australian head coach Alan Thompson.
With Olympic qualification trials beginning on Saturday, Thompson says the world record holder has come a long way since the world championships in March last year when doubts were raised over his future after he placed 7th in the endurance race.
“A lot of people in Australia wondered whether Grant would continue on swimming after the world championships last year, or whether he could get back to his best,” said Thompson.
“I would suggest, though, we’ll be waiting for the Olympic Games to see Grant at his absolute, absolute best, but he may surprise us all again.”
Off the back of some solid performances in Europe and a win in the 1500m at the Japan Open, Thompson says Hackett looks set to perform well in the coming week.
“I don’t think we should ever doubt a champion like Grant,” he said.
“He’s certainly of great value to our team.
“As the team captain he may only talk to the team once or maybe twice … but what he does in the pool is something that is very important to our team and he’s a great leader without standing up and talking about it and just leading by his example.
“(In Melbourne) I don’t think his performances affected our team in a negative way, I think a lot of people felt for him, but when Grant performs very well they certainly affect our team in a very positive way.”