PIER SUPPORT
Olympic champion Grant Hackett has signalled his intent to swim the Lorne Pier To Pub, after being swept up in open-water fever during a visit to the bustling Surf Coast at the weekend.
OLYMPIC champion Grant Hackett has put the Pier To Pub open water swim on his post-retirement bucket list.
The former 1500m freestyle world record holder has watched the event from afar since his 2008 retirement, but told the Geelong Advertiser he would love to take part in the famous Lorne event.
“Eventually, I’d like to do that race one day,” the 37-yearold said.
“I certainly won’t be as fit as I was 10, 15 years ago but it’s such an amazing swim with 5000 people participating, and you can chuck a wetsuit on which makes it a little bit easier than it does in the pool, and salt water helps you float a bit.
“It’s a swim I could probably get through these days being retired.”
While Hackett didn’t make it to Lorne on Saturday, he was at Fairhaven Beach on Sunday as Australia’s best ironmen and women competed in the Nutri-Grain Series. He said the sport once rivalled his interest in swimming.
“It’s been a great sport. I nearly chose this sport over swimming, so for me I was heavily involved in it as a youngster,” he said.
“It’s good to see so many young nippers and the local community getting down here and supporting the sport.
“I trained with a lot of these guys over the years. My brother was heavily involved in this series, so just to come down and support some of the guys and the girls, who I know a few of as well, it’s always nice when it’s in my backyard a little bit more these days.”
The region has recently been like a second home for Hackett.
“Funnily enough, I was down here just before Christmas, in Geelong, but it’s such a beautiful part of the world,” he said.
“When the weather is a little bit better than this, it’s much more attractive, but it’s nice to come down here now and again. I’ve been down here a couple of times now over the past four or five weeks and I’ll try and get down here a little bit more before summer finishes up.”