only in Wales would a world class He also has a good chance of repeating the feat I am not putting myself under pressure to do it
sportsman have a nickname like in Beijing this summer, possibly getting two. this time.”
Dai splash. compare it with The Gold is a realistic ambition in both his favourite
Machine or captain fantastic for his 1500m and the 10km open water. Grant Hackett is the superstar of 1500m
greatest rival, Grant Hackett. swimming. The only swimmer ever to have won
He has multiple World and European medals four world championships in the same event,
Of course Ian Thorpe had probably the best at long and short course (50m and 25m pools), he is going for his third successive Olympic
of them, Thorpedo, while the great Mark Spitz has three silver medals at European or world gold which would also make history in the
was Mark the Shark. The Americans obviously level to his name this year alone, all sitting sport.
like that theme as the front cover of Time beside his gold medal from the Melbourne
magazine described their current great Michael Commonwealth Games. The Australian was unbeaten in 1500m finals
Phelps as the Pool Shark. for 11 years, but when Davies finally beat
Which brings us back to the difference that Hackett – and Athens silver medallist Lars
They are also superstars in their own land an Olympic gold medal would make in lifting Jensen – in last year’s World Championships,
while Davies would have a pretty good chance Davies up to that top bracket of sports star. he still found himself third behind Yury Prilukov
of walking from one end of his native Barry of Russia, the silver medallist, and Poland’s
to the other with only the occasional polite He has moved out of Wales to train in world champion Mateusz Sawrymowicz.
interruption. Loughborough in the bid to find that extra
yard or two that separates first from second, “The fact Grant Hackett is still around means
Just as there is Dai the Milk and Dai the Post, a change of coach and a new set of training he will probably be the favourite going for
this David swims so he is Dai Splash – unfussy, partners to push him that bit harder. his third Olympic gold and he is a fantastic
as it is, so the nickname is a bit like the person athlete,” said Davies.
after all. As Beijing approaches, he is quietly confident.
“I would not be doing all the work unless I “I have beaten Grant twice in my life, but going
He is famous for telling BBC interviewer thought I had a chance. into Beijing knowing it has been done is a help
Sharon Davies to chill out when he was as well.
the one who should have been stressed ”...i would get out after 100
preparing for a major final, baffling the world “However there are a lot of youngsters
of swimming by doing Cardiff City’s Ayatollah metres – if there are fish in the around as well who have moved the event on.
celebration on the medal podium – in fact Qualifying from the heats alone will be tough,
almost anything other than being an extremely water i do not like...” never mind the final.”
good swimmer.
“I am very happy with the way things are The other event where he has beaten Hackett
The 23-year-old is no temperamental star, going in training, I have given my life to it, I am is the 10km swum in open water. Davies came
posing patiently for the pictures that adorn not putting all the emphasis and pressure on second at the World Cup in Seville, while
our front cover and this feature, along with getting the gold medal but on doing everything Hackett was outside the top 10 and failed to
countless others while completing a 10 hour right and getting what I deserve. qualify for the longer event when it makes its
media day at the new 50m pool in Cardiff Bay. Olympics debut in Beijing.
“The Olympics are THE sporting event,
When one internet cameraman dropped his massive prestige and history back to the Greek “The open water is a new thing for me this
expensive equipment into the water, Davies days. The Olympics are everything to all these year, but it is good for me to have two events
simply swam to the bottom of the pool, athletes and winning gold is very, very difficult, and not have all my eggs in one basket,” said
retrieved and returned it – albeit with a broad but to do it would mean a great deal. Davies, who won his first 10km race in South
grin – when others would have taken the Africa and was narrowly second behind Russian
opportunity to score a point. “I am trying to stay pretty relaxed because I do Vladimir Dyatchnin in Seville.
not want to become too excited and become
But does all this mean that he is not taken as an emotional wreck with it all. I am looking “I was nervous and apprehensive about doing
seriously as he should be in Wales? forward to the challenge, I am not putting any the open water at first, I said to my coach
pressure on myself, I just want to go out there Kevin Renshaw before the first one in South
When he won his bronze in Athens, some of and do the best I can on the day. Africa that if I did not like it then I would get
the TV news coverage had a condescending out after 100 metres – if there are fish in the
tone - isn’t it incredible that our boy should be “It was the best day of my life last time round, water I do not like or I do not like the pace.
there with all these great athletes, rather than it was an amazing experience at the Olympic
it being our great athlete against all the others. Games and standing on the podium was the “However I took to it really well and recovered
best bit of all. well from it too, which is important, and having
Winning an Olympic medal is one of the rarest done that I was confident.
achievements in Welsh sport, after all, and he “Having done it already there is not so much
has been there, done that. pressure on me. I would love to do it again but “Then I went to Seville and was second in
my first competitive race and again got back
sportingwales
issue3twothousand&eight
SW_Issue3.indd 11 30/7/08 11:11:00
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52