They were the last Aussies to go 1-2 in the same race. They think it could happen again – with a world record

Paris: Two of Australia’s Olympic greats, Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett, believe swimming’s longest-standing individual world record, the men’s 400m freestyle, will be broken on a blockbuster night one of competition in the pool.

Sam Short and Elijah Winnington are Australia’s two golden hopes in the eight-lap event, which is the first final on the opening night of the swimming program on Saturday evening (Sunday 4.42am AEST).

Left: Sam Short after his 400m freestyle victory last year at the world championships in Fukuoka. Right: Elijah Winnington celebrates his 400m freestyle final win during the Australian swimming trials in June.Credit: Getty Images

Thorpe and Hackett were the last Australians to win gold and silver, respectively, in the same Olympic swimming event when they competed in the 400m freestyle at Athens 2004.

In 1999, Thorpe achieved his first world record when he lowered Kieren Perkins’ best mark in the 400m freestyle to three minutes, 41.83 seconds. Thorpe held the world record for 10 years, with his best time of 3:40.08 coming at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Germany’s Paul Biedermann’s lowered Thorpe’s world record by just one-hundredth of a second to 3:40.07 in 2009, but it was done in a supersuit that is now banned. Many still regard Thorpe’s 2002 mark as the unofficial world record for the race.

“I think it gets broken. I hope it’s by an Australian,” Thorpe, a two-time Olympic gold medallist in the 400m freestyle, told this masthead.

“It’s about time that it’s broken. Not just because it’s X number of years since, but also because of how many people are close to that mark around the world. All of the information is there on how you swim it to be able to produce a time that’s 3:40 or just below. People have known that for more than 20 years now.

“We have two of the top swimmers in the world in this event, which should drive the time down quicker.

“It should happen this year. But you don’t get to choose when you’re at your very best.”

Sam Short made a huge statement last year by winning gold at the world championships in Japan in a time of 3:40.68, ahead of Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Ahmed Hafnaoui (3:40.70), who has announced he won’t compete in Paris.

Ian Thorpe in 2002. Credit: Reuters

Lukas Martens from Germany has the fastest time this year (3:40.33), ahead of Winnington (3:41.41), who won the race at Australia’s Olympic trials.

Short, who was ill at trials, boasts a best time this year of 3:41.64. The Queenslander believes he has what it takes to become the only Australian male to own an individual long-course world record.

Hackett, a seven-time Olympic medallist and world champion in the 400m freestyle in 2005, believes someone will go under the magic 3:40 mark.

“I think we’ve now got a strong enough field and a couple of individuals in there that could push each other to actually go under that 3:40 mark,” Hackett, a Stan Sport swimming expert, said. “Ian went under 3:41 for the first time when he was 17, back at the 2000 Olympic trials.

“It’s effectively going to take 24 years for someone to actually improve that race.

“What Perkins did before in the 400 and then what Thorpey did, they kind of almost quantum leaped probably two or three generations of swimming. Now, I think they’re finally catching up to that standard.

“Lukas Martens has to be No.1 going into this, just given his form. It’d be really interesting to see if we could see someone go under 3:40 for the first time.

“If you get someone who’s willing to take it head on and really race it, that’ll bring everybody else up, and it’ll produce an outstanding time and potentially a world record.”

Australia has won gold in the men’s 400m freestyle six times at the Olympics, courtesy of Murray Rose (1956 and 1960), Brad Cooper (1972), Thorpe (2000 and 2004) and Mack Horton (2016).

Grant Hackett will appear as a swimming expert on Stan Sport’s Olympics Daily and Paris Preview shows throughout the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Ian Thorpe will be commentating for Channel Nine from Paris.