Missing Hackett found ‘alive’ after disappearance
Olympic swimming great Grant Hackett is “alive and sober”, his father told media on Thursday after he went missing following a family bust-up, sparking fears for his safety.
Hackett’s father Neville said Australia’s troubled former 1500m world record-holder, who was briefly detained this week after a domestic incident, was in contact with police.
“Police officers are happy he’s alive and sober,” Neville Hackett said, according to ABC. “He’s told the police officers he just wants to hide from everybody.”
Hackett’s father raised the alarm earlier on Thursday after his “mentally disturbed” son, 36, failed to turn up for appointments with a doctor and lawyer.
Hackett had posted a picture on social media showing himself with a black eye, and accused his brother of beating him up. EMBARRASSED “He’s in hiding from everybody, including us,” Hackett’s father said. “I think he’s very, very embarrassed, but let’s see how things go.”
The double Olympic gold medallist was released without charge on Wednesday after his family called police following a reported bout of heavy drinking which led to “uncontrollable rage”.
His brother, Craig, said the former swimmer had mental health problems and was no longer the person he once knew.
On Thursday, Hackett a picture of himself on Instagram. My brother comments to the media... but does anyone know he beat the shit out of me,” Hackett wrote in the caption.
Hackett came out of six years of troubled retirement in 2014 in a bid to make the Rio Games, hoping to become the oldest Australian swimmer to qualify for an Olympics.
But he narrowly missed out on a berth and after the Olympic trials in Adelaide last April, he hit the headlines again after a meltdown on a plane.
Hackett was accused of drunkenly squeezing the nipple of a fellow business-class passenger in an embarrassing incident which prompted him to vow to quit drinking.
“This is now a chronic problem... so, from a mental health perspective, I hope something can be done,” Craig Hackett said Wednesday.
“This is not Grant Hackett, this is a completely different person. I don’t know this person, my mum and dad don’t know this person,” he said.
Hackett mumbled to reporters after his release, saying he was “not great” and “probably needed to” go into rehab.