Davies predicts close battle in distance final

DAVID DAVIES certainly isn't believing those who claim the ravages of time have finally caught up on Grant Hackett, swimming's long reigning distance king.

World record holder Hackett has dominated the 1500m freestyle distance since winning the first of his two Olympic titles in Sydney eight years ago.

But his failure at last year's World Championships in Melbourne, an event where Davies added a matching bronze to the Olympic medal he won in Athens, has started tongues wagging on the gossipy pool deck.

"He is certainly not past it," said Davies.

"Grant is still hungry and wanting to do it, you don't go for a third Olympic title unless you are a bit special and he'll be one to beat again here.

"In my view his current world record is the best on the books and it could stand for a long, long time."

However, Davies believes the battle for medals will be more intense than ever before.

In Athens just four finalists dipped below the 15-minute barrier - at last year's Worlds, in which Poland's Mateusz Sawrymowicz surprisingly triumphed, that number had increased to seven.

"The 1500m is the most difficult it has ever been in terms of depth and qualification for the final is the only thing I'm thinking about at the moment," added Davies.

"A lot of top guys are going to be hard pushed just to make the final because of the times being swum at the moment.

"The final will be an absolute dog fight - so many guys have already gone below 15 minutes this season and you'd be hard pushed to accurately predict the three medalists."

Hackett has long regarded 23-year old Davies as his natural heir apparent - although not before he achieves something Australian legends Kieran Perkins and Ian Thorpe never did by claiming a hat-trick of Olympic golds.

"There will be an expectation on David this time around - which maybe he didn't have in Athens," he said.

"He has grown and progressed as an athlete and he seems to have matured. I have a lot of respect for David and the way that he trains and performs in the world consistently.

"He's swimming well and deserves to be viewed as a gold medal hopeful."

Swim team chief Michael Scott claims Britain have never had a better prepared squad for an Olympics, after a training camp in Japan blew away the long-haul cobwebs and saw medal hopefuls post some impressive training times.

According to Scott, his goal for Beijing is the ‘maximise performance outcomes' - which is psychobabble shorthand for saying Britain has too often failed to achieve on their undoubted promise when it really mattered.

"Too often we've not stepped up to the mark and improved on our trial form when it comes to major competitions - that's something that really needs to change," he said.

Davies - one of only two swimming medals in Athens - is a notable exception to this charge, having consistently placed on the podium since his breakthrough as a raw-boned teenager at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

Now established as Britain's most successful ever endurance swimmer, he will mount a medal campaign on two fronts in Beijing - after signing up for the sport's first ever open water event, held over a 10km course around the Olympic rowing centre.

There he will battle around eight turns where nearly anything goes. Black eyes, scratches, bruises, kicks, errant elbows and lost goggles are all considered part of the sport.

"It's very different swimming in a pack to competing in a pool," he said.

"It's a very physical sport, you swim on top of each other and you get the odd fist in your face.
"I'm not a violent person but you have to get your hands dirty and accept it.

"You can try to swim out the front to stay out of trouble but sometimes that doesn't work tactically. You need to think on your feet to stay out of trouble.

"It's a demanding and physical endurance event but I really enjoy it and I'm delighted they've finally added it to the Olympic programme because it deserves its place."

But coping with the flailing fists and legs isn't the Welshman's biggest concern.

"Learning to swim in a straight line without lane markers hasn't been easy as it looks," he added.

"It's the hardest thing I've ever done and adapting so has been difficult. I've got real scope for improvement but I'm a novice and there is no pressure on me."

JAMES TONEY in Beijing