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Australia hails new distance king Hackett
SYDNEY, Sept 23 (AFP) - Grant Hackett knew it would take more than a slim win to dethrone Kieren Perkins as the king of distance swimming, at least in the hearts of Australian swimming fans. "It was not only good just to win," Hackett said of his triumph in the Olympic 1500m freestyle. "I won by a good margin." Hackett completed the 30-lap race in 14min 48.33sec, with Perkins second in 14:53.59. American Chris Thompson squeezed out Alexei Filipets for the bronze in 14:56.81. He edged the Russian by just seven-hundredths of a second as the top four all finished under 15 minutes, a feat never before seen in a 1500m race. Perkins, vying for an unprecedented third straight Olympic 1500m title after four years of intermittent illness and doubt, thrilled Aussie fans in the heats by swimming under 15 minutes for the first time since Atlanta. The 27-year-old had languished behind Hackett in the rankings in recent years and vowed that this race would be his last. Even so, Hackett knew that he needed a victory over the aging legend -- still the world record-holder -- to cement his reputation as Australia's premier distance freestyler. "It was going to take a world record or a gold medal," he said. After the race Hackett said, Perkins told him "You deserve it." "For him to say that, that's something awesome," Hackett said. "He's a man who doesn't give many raps believe me." Hackett, who floundered in the 200m and 400m earlier in the Games, admitted he had flashes of self-doubt. "There were moments when I thought maybe it wasn't my time, maybe I needed another four years," he said. Instead he finished with the fourth fastest 1500m of all time. Only Perkins' world record of 14:41.66 set at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, his 1992 Olympic victory in Barcelona and Hackett's own 1999 Pan Pacific Championship times were faster. Perkins posted the sixth-fastest swim of his decade-long international career. Afterward he thanked his coach, John Carew, and his wife Symantha, who was in the stands with their two children, who waved a sign saying "Go Daddy". "They've supported me for a long time," Perkins said of his family and Carew. "I wouldn't be here without them.
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