A few months back, any combination of the words “Grant Hackett” and “Rio Olympics” conjured up a bloody ascendant narrative – after all, the triple Olympic gold medallist was gearing up for one last crack at glory in the pool with some impressive showings against the Australian team’s young guns.
It didn’t pan out. Then… well.
Following a rough night on the lash – a pleasure Hackett had denied himself while training – the 36-year-old went ahead and befuddled the entire nation by getting himself caught in a bizarro nipple-crippling fiasco. On a flight from Adelaide to Melbourne, he allegedly tweaked the nip of the bloke in front of him.
Here’s an artist’s impression:
You were weirded out, we were weirded out, everyone was weirded out, including some important figures in Hackett’s post-pool career.
“I guess for me not being on the team as an athlete, then the way to contribute was being there part of the coverage, on pool deck.“There are going to be people going through all sorts of emotions, with so much pressure, you need all the support you can get.“That’s the disappointing aspect, not being able to support them.”
“That’s what I find really difficult, when you see them going through that hurt with you.”
Source: Herald Sun.
Photo: Darrian Traynor / Getty.