The 1500 metre freestyle became Australia’s flagship event in the pool at the back end of the 20th century and the early 2000s.
Between Kieren Perkins and Grant Hackett, Australia was almost untouchable.
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Perkins made his Olympic Games debut at Barcelona in the 1992 Olympics, winning gold at just 19-years of age.
He continued his winning ways at the 1994 World Championships in Rome and the 1994 Commonwealth Games, taking gold in both the 1500 and 400 metre freestyle, before lining up in Atlanta.
Perkins fell out of form by the time Atlanta rolled around and was up against fellow Australian Daniel Kowalski who was making his debut in the Games after some impressive form at the various championships between 1992 and 1996.
Perkins only just scraped through qualification for the final of the event and had to swim out of lane eight as a result.
In fact, he only made the final 0.24, narrowly beating Steffen Zesner from Germany. It was later revealed that Perkins was close to not swimming due to illness.
What followed in the finals though was a virtual return to the form that had won Perkins an Olympic gold medal, and various championships in between as he swum out of the ‘graveyard’ lane eight.
He would clock a time of 14:56.40, which was over six seconds ahead of Kowalski who finished second place in an incredible display.
Perkins kept fighting to the Sydney Olympics in 2000, hoping to do something similar but the true passing of the baton over to Grant Hackett finally occurred, as Perkins took silver behind Hackett.
Nonetheless, the 1996 triumph for Perkins will always be remembered as one of Australia’s best ever.
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jameswm
Roar Guru
Btendon - hate to tell you this but "right" doesn't exist when the opinion is subjective - as opinions invariably are.
Brendon
Guest
[quote]Yet the win moved our country and many have fond memories of it.[/quote] So what? Majority equals automatically right?
Paul D
Roar Guru
Gee you must be a bundle of fun at parties Brendon.
Marcus
Guest
No to the 400 gold, more's the pity. In 92, KP was pipped by the bald and evanescent Yevgeney Sadovyi. To steal from Blade Runner, Yevgeny's light blew twice as bright for not very long. 200/400 double in the one Olympics and not much else. But you are right on the non-Olympics. I was just trying to point out the idiocy of disputing something as subjective as a "greatest gold" - it's an opinion!. I think I did an even better job of that with my error.
jameswm
Roar Guru
Did he not win a 400 too? That would be 3. It doesn't say Olympic gold though, in the heading I mean. Comm Games, World Champs etc.
jameswm
Roar Guru
Yet the win moved our country and many have fond memories of it. I thought he had a stitch in the heat rather than misjudging it. Pretty sure you're made comments on things there you know nothing about (like his preparation).
Marcus
Guest
Cmon Brendon - if you want to criticise anything, it should the offensive error in the headline that you repeated. Perkins won "only" 2 gold medals. Therefore he can only have a "greater" or "better" gold, not a greatest. That is the real issue.
Brendon
Guest
No one expected Perkins to win? You mean the reigning Olympic, world champion and world record holder? I agree, who could have seen Perkins winning even though he was a million light years better than the mediocre competition? Lets not forget that his silver medal time in Sydney 2000 was 6 seconds better than his Atlanta time. The fact that Perkins didnt have a good preparation is his fault. The fact that he misjudged his heat swim is again his fault and not a reason for greatness. Why should we glorify an athlete coming into a major meet underdone and still winning? Its still great that Perkins won. A gold medal is a gold medal but in the history of great Olympic performances it isnt even remotely near the top.
jameswm
Roar Guru
Is it RUOK Day already?
jameswm
Roar Guru
You're on fire Brendon. I guess it's beyond you to comprehend winning when no one expected you to and when below your best as being a greater achievement than winning when you are dominant and in the form of your life.
Brendon
Guest
Wrong. Perkins greatest Olympic gold was the 1500m at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics where he swam 14:43.48, at the time a new world record, to win. It was a brilliant performance from Perkins second only to his 1994 Commonwealth 1500m freestyle. In 1996 he swam 14:56.40, the slowest by far of his 3 1500m freestyle Olympic finals, to win against a poor field. Perkins' preparation and condition for Atlanta was inferior and he misjudged the heat. Only in Australia would we glorify an athlete not performing at his/her best and ignore their best performances. Only in Australia would we glorify the mediocre over the brilliant. The 1996 mens 1500m free was weak and only Perkins swam under 15 mins. Glen Houseman's silver medal time from 1992 would have won gold. Both Perkins and 'Killer' Kowalski were slower than their 1994 Rome world championship gold/silver times . Remember the 1994 Rome world champs were only a couple weeks after the Commonwealth games. So in 1994 in a matter of weeks both Perkins and Kowalski swam two races with times better than their 1996 Olympic final times. I remember the Australian media criticising the American media for not covering this race. Why would they? It was a poor race. Why would anyone but Australians care that a much slower Perkins compared to his 92 and 94 times won gold? How stupid of us.
Punter
Guest
I was standing on my couch screaming at Perkins to keep going!!!! Great moment in Australian sport!!!!