Grant Hackett shrugged off illness speculation with an emphatic heat swim in the 1,500-metres freestyle at Beijing's Water Cube on Friday evening, swimming a new Olympic record. After a day when doubts were cast over his health in the lead-up to his tilt at a third consecutive gold medal, Hackett led throughout on his way to qualifying fastest for Sunday morning's final.
Craig Stevens missed out on the final though, swimming a disappointing time of 15 minutes, 4.82 seconds, which was well behind Hackett's time of 14:38.92.
Canada's Ryan Cochrane qualified second fastest, touching the wall in 14:40.84.
Hackett took control and burnt off the challenge of China's Zhang Lin midway through his heat to win comfortably and post his super-quick time.
"I had to go out there and swim a good pace tonight, place a good time and it's just a matter of getting ready for the final," Hackett said.
"I was very surprised. I thought it was about seven seconds slower than the pace I was doing."
It was a powerful statement from Hackett, who has won six Olympic medals, three of them gold, that he is the one to beat in Sunday's anticipated final.
The 28-year-old Australian, who has six career Olympic medals, three of them gold, has been under pressure in the lead-up to his Beijing campaign after a poor world championships - by his standards - in Melbourne in March 2007.
Poland's Mateusz Sawrymowicz ended Hackett's four-title domination of the 1,500m with victory last year and the Australian also lost his 400m free world crown.
His rivals are queueing up to deprive Hackett of his quest for Olympic history with his world record 14:34.56 still standing from 2001.
-ABC/AFP
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