Grant Hackett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Grant Hackett
OAM

Personal information
Born	(1980-05-09) 9 May 1980 (age 45) Southport, Queensland, Australia
Height	197 cm (6 ft 6 in)
Weight	96 kg (212 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
Club	Miami Swimming Club, Gold Coast Canoe, Melbourne Vicentre
Medal record Men's swimming Representing Australia Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 3 3 1 World Championships (LC) 10 6 3 World Championships (SC) 7 0 1 Pan Pacific Championships 9 4 0 Commonwealth Games 5 3 0 Goodwill Games 2 1 0 Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney 1500 m freestyle Gold 2000 Sydney 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2004 Athens 1500 m freestyle Silver 2004 Athens 400 m freestyle Silver 2004 Athens 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2008 Beijing 1500 m freestyle Bronze 2008 Beijing 4×200 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Gold 1998 Perth 1500 m freestyle Gold 1998 Perth 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2001 Fukuoka 1500 m freestyle Gold 2001 Fukuoka 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2003 Barcelona 800 m freestyle Gold 2003 Barcelona 1500 m freestyle Gold 2003 Barcelona 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2005 Montreal 400 m freestyle Gold 2005 Montreal 800 m freestyle Gold 2005 Montreal 1500 m freestyle Silver 1998 Perth 400 m freestyle Silver 2001 Fukuoka 400 m freestyle Silver 2001 Fukuoka 800 m freestyle Silver 2003 Barcelona 400 m freestyle Silver 2005 Montreal 200 m freestyle Silver 2007 Melbourne 400 m freestyle Bronze 2003 Barcelona 200 m freestyle Bronze 2005 Montreal 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 2015 Kazan 4×200 m freestyle World Championships (SC) Gold 1997 Gothenburg 1500 m freestyle Gold 1997 Gothenburg 4×200 m freestyle Gold 1999 Hong Kong 400 m freestyle Gold 1999 Hong Kong 1500m freestyle Gold 2002 Moscow 400 m freestyle Gold 2002 Moscow 1500 m freestyle Gold 2002 Moscow 4×200 m freestyle Bronze 1997 Gothenburg 400 m freestyle Goodwill Games Gold 2001 Brisbane 200 m freestyle Gold 2001 Brisbane 1500 m freestyle Silver 2001 Brisbane 400 m freestyle Pan Pacific Championships Gold 1997 Fukuoka 400 m freestyle Gold 1997 Fukuoka 800 m freestyle Gold 1997 Fukuoka 1500 m freestyle Gold 1999 Sydney 1500 m freestyle Gold 1999 Sydney 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2002 Yokohama 800 m freestyle Gold 2002 Yokohama 1500 m freestyle Gold 2002 Yokohama 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2002 Yokohama 4×200 m freestyle Silver 1997 Fukuoka 4×200 m freestyle Silver 1999 Sydney 400 m freestyle Silver 2002 Yokohama 400 m freestyle Silver 2002 Yokohama 200 m freestyle Commonwealth Games Gold 1998 Kla Lumpur 1500 m freestyle Gold 1998 Kla Lumpur 4×200 m freestyle Gold 2002 Manchester 1500 m freestyle Gold 2002 Manchester 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2002 Manchester 4×200 m freestyle Silver 1998 Kla Lumpur 400 m freestyle Silver 2002 Manchester 200 m freestyle Silver 2002 Manchester 400 m freestyle

Grant George Hackett OAM (born May 9, 1980) is a famous Australian swimmer. He is best known for winning the men's 1500 metres freestyle race at two Olympic Games. He won gold at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and again at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. This amazing achievement makes him one of the greatest long-distance swimmers ever.

Grant also won a gold medal in Sydney as part of the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay team. He was known for being very good at different swimming distances. He held world records in the 200 m, 800 m, and 1500 m freestyle events. Grant was unbeatable in the 1500 m race for ten years, from 1996 until 2007. Overall, he won 10 gold medals at World Championships.

He was the captain of the Australian swimming team from 2005 until he retired in 2008. After swimming, Grant worked in television and business.

Early Life and Beginnings

Grant Hackett was born in Southport, Queensland on the Gold Coast, Queensland. His father was a police officer. His older brother was a Surf Lifesaving champion. Grant's mother, Margaret, was told she might not have more children after his brother was born. But then she became pregnant with Grant! He went to Merrimac State High School.

Grant's Swimming Journey

Grant first became well-known at the 1997 Pan Pacific Championships. There, he won the 1500 metres race. He also won the 400 m freestyle. This was his only international win over Ian Thorpe in that distance.

1998 World Championships Success

At the 1998 World Championships, Grant won the 1500 m again. However, Ian Thorpe just beat him in the 400 m race. Grant also teamed up with Ian Thorpe, Michael Klim, and Daniel Kowalski. They won the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay. This started a six-year winning streak against the United States in this event.

He achieved similar results at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. From 1997 to 2007, Grant was unbeaten in the 1500 m race. He won it at every major world competition. This included the World Championships, Pan Pacific Championships, Olympics, Commonwealth, and Australian Championships.

In 1999, Grant broke his first world record. He surprisingly broke the 200 m freestyle world record. This happened when he started a relay race for his club team. Ian Thorpe later broke that record in the same year. Grant himself won the 1500 m freestyle. He also helped break the world record in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay.

2000 Sydney Olympics

Olympic medal record
Representing  Australia
2000 Sydney – Men's Swimming
Gold	4 × 200 m freestyle relay	7 min 07.05 s (WR)
Gold	1500 m freestyle	14 min 48.33 s

At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Grant was the top favorite for the 1500 m freestyle. He was also expected to help Ian Thorpe in the 200 m and 400 m races. However, Grant was not at his best because of a virus. He finished eighth and seventh in those events. He also swam slowly in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay heats. Because of this, he was not chosen for the final relay team.

When the 1500 m freestyle final came, Grant had qualified third. The crowd was cheering loudly for Kieren Perkins. Grant faced a lot of pressure. He started the race very fast and held on to win the gold medal.

2001 World Championships Dominance

At the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Grant was incredibly fast. He swam his fastest times ever in the 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, and 1500 m freestyle events. He finished second to Ian Thorpe in both the 400 m and 800 m. He even broke the 800 m world record in that race. With Thorpe, Klim, and Kirby, they broke the world record in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay.

In the 1500 m, Grant started strong and stayed well ahead of the world record pace. The crowd cheered him on. He broke the record by 7 seconds and won the gold medal.

2003 World Championships Medals

At the 2003 World Championships in Barcelona, Grant won five medals. He got three gold, one silver, and one bronze. This was the first time he won individual medals in the 200, 400, 800, and 1500 freestyle events at an international meet.

2004 Athens Olympics Challenge

Olympic medal record
Representing  Australia
2004 Athens – Men's Swimming
Silver	400 m freestyle	3 min 43.36 s
Silver	4 × 200 m freestyle relay	7 min 07.46 s
Gold	1500 m freestyle	14 min 43.40 s

Grant is a tall and strong swimmer. He won the tough 1500 metres race using his strength and endurance. He showed this in Sydney when he won even though he was still recovering from being sick. In Athens, he won again despite challenges from younger swimmers. He won even though one of his lungs was partly collapsed. This meant his total lung capacity was reduced by 25%. This was discovered after the Olympics.

Before the 1500m final, he had already won a silver medal in the 400 m behind Ian Thorpe. His performance in the individual 200 m was not his best. He also had a slower start in the 4 × 200 m relay.

2005 World Championships Triumphs

In 2005, Grant was chosen as the captain of the Australian swimming team. He led Australia at the World Championships in Montreal, Canada. He won gold medals in the 400 m, 800 m, and 1500 m freestyle. He also got a silver in the 200 m freestyle. He was the first person to win medals in four different distances at a single World Championships.

His win in the 800 m event broke Ian Thorpe's world record. With his 1500 m victory, he became the first swimmer to win an event four times at a World Championships. He helped his team win bronze in the 4 × 200 m relay. He was named FINA's Male Swimmer of the Meet.

In November 2005, Grant announced he would not compete in the 2006 Commonwealth Games. This was because he had minor shoulder surgery. However, he was still allowed to be a non-competing captain. He helped guide the other swimmers before the competition.

2007 World Championships Challenges

In late 2006, Grant moved to Melbourne. He felt that this change affected his training. Before the 2007 World Aquatics Championships, he was not very hopeful about his chances.

He qualified last in the 400 m event. In the final, he led for a while but then faded to win the silver medal. He qualified fifth in the 800 m event but finished seventh. In the 1500 m final, Grant came seventh. This ended his ten-year winning streak in that event.

In December 2007, Grant competed in his first 10 km Open Water national championship. He won by just beating Ky Hurst. Both qualified for the World Championships in Spain. However, Grant did not finish in the top 10 there. This meant he missed qualifying for the 2008 Summer Olympics 10 km open water swim.

At the 2008 Victorian Short Course Swimming Championships, Grant broke his own 800 metres freestyle world record. He lowered the time by almost two seconds to 7:23.42.

2008 Beijing Olympics

Hackett (left) at the Melbourne homecoming parade for the 2008 Olympic Team.

Grant did not qualify for the 10,000m race. But he did well in other events. He swam the 400m and 1500m freestyle and the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay. In the 1500m, he won the silver medal. Oussama Mellouli from Tunisia won the gold. If Grant had won, he would have been the first male swimmer to win three Olympic titles in the same event.

Grant won the individual 200m freestyle at the Olympic trials. But he chose not to take his spot in that event for the Olympics. He gave it to the third-place finisher, Nicholas Sprenger.

2015 World Championships Comeback

After six and a half years away from major competitions, Grant returned to swimming. He had been training for six months. At the Australian Championships, he finished fourth in the 200m freestyle. This qualified him for the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships. He also won a bronze medal in the 400m freestyle.

At the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, he won a bronze medal. This was for swimming in the heats of the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay. It was his first international medal since the 2008 Olympics.

Grant Hackett's Best Times

Grant Hackett set many world records in both short course and long course pools. His world records in the 1500 metre (long course and short course) and 800 metre short course were very strong. They were the only men's world records that were not broken by swimmers using the new high-tech swimsuits in 2008/2009.

Life After Swimming

Grant Hackett in May 2017.

Grant Hackett has worked for the Nine Network in television. He used to work for the Seven Network.

In October 2008, Grant joined Nine News Melbourne as the weekend sports presenter. He later continued with the network in other roles.

Grant was also a swimming expert commentator for Amazon Prime Video. He covered the 2021 Olympic Trials and the 2022 Australian Swimming Championships.

Personal Life and Education

Grant has two university degrees: one in commerce and one in law. He also has an executive MBA from Bond University.

On April 14, 2007, Grant married Australian singer Candice Alley. In September 2009, they welcomed twins, a son named Jagger Emilio and a daughter named Charlize Alley. They later separated in 2012.

In December 2020, Grant married Sharlene Fletcher. They have a son named Edward. In August 2023, they had their second child, a daughter named Olympia. Grant is a strong supporter of Mental Health awareness.

Awards and Recognition

Grant has received many honors for his achievements. He got an Australian Sports Medal in 2000. In 2001, he received a Centenary Medal and a Medal of the Order of Australia. The Order of Australia was for his gold medal win in 2000.

In 2004, he was given the "Key to the City of Gold Coast". This was to recognize his amazing success as a swimmer. He was named the Australian Swimmer of the Year in 2005. Swimming World magazine also named him the World Swimmer of the Year.

In 2009, Grant was named one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland. This was for his role as a "sports legend." In 2010, he was added to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2014.

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See also

In Spanish: Grant Hackett para niños

• List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (men)
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
• World record progression 200 metres freestyle
• World record progression 400 metres freestyle
• World record progression 800 metres freestyle
• World record progression 1500 metres freestyle
• World record progression 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay