Hackett Believes Australian Men Are Improving
Gary Hall Jr. believes that, despite “lack of direction,” the Australians are a “seaworthy ship.” Apparently so does Grant Hackett, who says that Australia’s men are closing the gap on the “powerful” Americans. I would not go that far. Certainly the men could be headed in the right direction, but they are still far, far behind not only the Americans but much of the world.
But Hackett adamantly feels that Melbourne could see a resurgence for the Australian men.
“I think we are going to pick up our performances, we’re definitely going to improve,” Hackett told Rebecca Williams of the Herald Sun. “We have seen the men’s team improve in some events over the past 18 months. We want to make these low periods as shallow as possible. I think we have done that pretty successfully and we’re on the way back up now. These world championships are going to be a big stepping stone for us. There is no doubt that the US men’s team is No. 1. They’re certainly setting the bar and we’ve got to be chasing that and improving on that.”
It will be exciting to see what the Australians can do come Melbourne. The women are certainly poised for greatness, but with the ever increasing competition from the rest of the world, these World Champs are set to be one of the most competitive ever.
Comment by Tony Austin
Posted on March 6th, 2007 at 23:05
As for Grant: Grant is hopeful that he will be off life support and perhaps even finish up his chemo-therapy treatments just in time for both his kidney and lung transplants which will take place an hour before his 1500 meter swim at World Swimming Championships.
Comment by Gary Hall Jr.
Posted on March 7th, 2007 at 07:17
You forgot SARS! And remember that bubonic plague thing that hit the Middle East and Europe in the 14th century, AKA “black death”? It’s resurfaced in what’s left of Grant Hackett’s tonsils last Wednesday. Doctors are administering small amounts of Ebola, Cholera and AIDS to “round out the field”.
As doctors explained that this could actually create some balance, countering the good that Grant does for Australian Swimming, they turned and shot him in the leg with a 22 caliber pistol. “What was that for?” members of the media gasped. “He’s Grant Hackett,” they explained, “he needs to have something to overcome in order to swim well.”
Comment by Tony Austin
Posted on March 7th, 2007 at 08:59
ROTFL
Maybe he has “three stooges syndrome”, Whereas he has every disease known to man (and several only found inside him), but it won’t kill him because they all cancel each other out. The only other person known to have this is Mr. Burns of, “The Simpsons”
Comment by Gary Hall Jr.
Posted on March 7th, 2007 at 11:29
I have seen that episode of the Simpsons! It’s a popular show I know, but I didn’t want to reveal my enthusiasm for a cartoon on a swimming forum. Hilarious. “Mr. Hackett, you have…. everything.”