04 April,2015 02:08 AM IST | | AFP
Former Olympic champion finishes third in 400m freestyle final after a seven-year break from competitive swimming
Grant Hackett smiles after finishing third in the 400-metres freestyle final at Australia���¢��������s World Championship trials in Sydney yesterday
Sydney: Dual Olympic champion Grant Hackett finished third in the 400-metres freestyle final in his comeback swim after seven years out of the pool at Australia-s world championship trials in Sydney yesterday.
Grant Hackett smiles after finishing third in the 400-metres freestyle final at Australia's World Championship trials in Sydney yesterday. Pic/Getty Images
The 34-year-old, in his first major meet since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, clocked three minutes, 46.53 seconds to finish with the bronze medal behind Mack Horton 3:42.84 and defending champion David McKeon 3:44.28.
He can-t believe it
Hackett qualified fourth-fastest for the final. Based on Friday-s swim, he is considered to have a strong chance of a top-six 200m freestyle finish and, as a result, a relay berth for this year-s world championships in Russia.
"I can-t believe I can do that after six months," Hackett told reporters after narrowly missing out on qualifying for the event at the worlds.
"Everything is a bonus," he said. "I have nothing to prove in the sport. I have won Olympic gold medals, broken world records - I can-t do anything else. I just want to see how fast my old body can swim."
