Grant Hackett targets a fourth Olympics0:53
Swimming: Grant Hackett is aiming to become the oldest swimmer to make the Australian team for the Rio Games. The 35-year-old is hopeful of competing at a fourth Olympics but chasing more medals isn't his main motivation.
Thomas Fraser-Holmes (right) reacts after winning the Mens 400m Individual Medley final at the Australian Olympic trials on Thursday night. Travis Mahoney (left) was second.
FOUR years after watching the London Olympics from a TV in the AIS library in Canberra, Mack Horton is off to Rio as a gold medal contender after winning the men’s 400m freestyle in Adelaide on Thursday night.
Horton recorded a personal best time of 3mins 41.65secs at the Olympic trials to beat David McKeon (3:45.09) who will join him in Rio, while Jack McLaughlin (3:46.27) was third and comeback king Grant Hackett finished fourth (3:48.84).
Hackett was never expected to seriously challenge his younger rivals but still produced a respectable swim and the 35-year-old’s hopes of going to a fourth Olympics now rest with the 200m freestyle which begins with heats and semis on Friday.
Mack Horton celebrates winning the 400m freestyle final the Australian Olympic trials in Adelaide on Thursday night.Source:Getty Images
But opening night belonged to Horton who is set to realise a childhood dream of not only racing at an Olympics but going to Rio as a genuine medal contender.
“I remember junior pan pacs (in 2012) we had a training camp at the AIS and I was sitting in the library watching the Olympics thinking it would be awesome to be there - and now I’m going,” said Horton, 19.
“I think most kids dream of going to the Olympics and (for me) it was about the age of 10.
“I’m happy to be on the team but I still want to go faster ... now it’s all about working towards doing the best I can there.”
The Melbourne teenager’s time saw him leap-frog Hackett to move to number two on the Australian all-time list behind only the great Ian Thorpe.
“It’s pretty insane really, I haven’t really thought about it,” Horton said.
“Hopefully one day we can get number one I guess.”
Hackett praised Horton and McKeon who he said were good enough to win gold in the event in Rio in August.
“They’ve got the goods, they’re the best,” Hackett said.
“Stuff just getting medals, let’s get some gold medals out of these Games because they’re good enough.”
Thomas Fraser-Holmes (right) reacts after winning the Mens 400m Individual Medley final at the Australian Olympic trials on Thursday night. Travis Mahoney (left) was second.Source:AAP
In other medals decided last night, Thomas Fraser-Holmes won the 400m individual medley (IM) for the seventh time with a 4:11.09 swim which was less than a second outside his PB.
But the bigger cheer was for Travis Mahoney who won a thrilling race for second place in 4:14.98 which booked his ticket to Rio alongside Fraser-Holmes.
The women’s 400m IM was won by London Olympic silver medallist Blair Evans in 4:35.26 from Keryn McMaster in 4:37.94.
Emily Seebohm won her first gold medal of the meet in the women’s 50m backstroke from Minna Atherton but is yet to officially book her ticket to Rio given it was not an Olympic event.
Four-time Paralympic gold medallist from London, Ellie Cole, made made a blistering start to the championships by winning the women’s 50m multi-class freestyle in S9 world record time.
Cole’s time of 28.75secs beat the previous benchmark which was jointly held by South African legend Natalie Du Toit and Spain’s Sarai Gascon. There was a dead heat in the men’s multi-class 50m freestyle between Daniel Fox and Mitchell Kilduff.
Emma McKeon (57.13) and Alicia Coutts (57.55) won their respective semi-finals in the women’s 100m butterfly to book a showdown in Friday night’s final, as did Jake Packard (59.67) and Josh Palmer (1:00.21) in the men’s 100m breaststroke.
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