Aussie swimming legend Grant Hackett on Monday afternoon stepped into China's National Aquatics Center, popularly known as the Water Cube, for his first training session, where he is much expected to snatch the Olympic gold medals.
There has been no one in history winning the title of the perhaps most grueling Olympic event, the 1,500m at three consecutive Games. Hackett has already bagged two and apparently, he has a good shot in Beijing.
The 28-year-old won his first 1,500m Olympic title in front of a home crowd in Sydney 2000, and successfully defended the title four years later in Athens. He is also the world record holder of the event.
"My training in Malaysia was good and I'm very much looking forward for the race," Hackett told reporters before his first swim in the pool.
Hackett's faith to create history was given a major boost when he astonishingly shaved almost two seconds off his own world record in the short-course 800m freestyle this July.
Another advantage for Hackett comes from the Water Cube itself. The pool was designed by PTW, a Sydney-based Australian architectural firm, and many design concepts are similar to those of the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Center, making it comparatively easy for Hackett to adjust himself to.
However, it might not be that easy for Hackett to become a history maker, as he's facing fierce competitions from other swimmers, such as South Korean swimming prodigy Park Tae-hwan.
Talking about Park, who beat the defending world champion in the 400m event last year, Hackett said the 18-year-old challenger is a very good swimmer, and the race between the two of them should be exciting.
(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2008)