Aussie swimming legend Grant Hackett wiped from history

The seemingly immortal 800m record set by swimming icon Grant Hackett in 2008 has been shattered by Daniel Wiffen at the European Championships, wiping the Australian from history.

Grant Hackett’s 22-year reign as swimming’s 800m king is over.

The Australian has been wiped from the record books after Daniel Wiffen smashed swimming’s oldest world record at the European short course championships in Romania on Monday (AEDT).

Hackett’s seemingly-immortal record had survived 15 years after he blew the world away with a freakish swim at the 2008 Victorian Championship just a few weeks before the Beijing Olympics.

That record survived the era of supersuits and a generation of swimming beasts, but the record was finally toppled by Wiffen on Monday.

It wasn’t just broken — it was completely annihilated by the Irish swimmer, who shaved 2.98 seconds off Hackett’s time, touching the wall in 7:20.46 to take the gold medal.

Daniel Wiffen of Ireland celebrates his victory at the end of the men's 800m Freestyle of the European Short Course Swimming Championships. Photo by Daniel MIHAILESCU / AFP.

The 22-year-old added the 800m title to the golds he claimed earlier this week in the Otopeni pool, in the 400m and 1500m freestyle.

Hackett’s record was the oldest one left standing in swimming after Michael Phelps’ iconic 400m individual medley record was beaten by Leon Marchand in July.

🚨 NEW WORLD RECORD 🚨

Daniel Wiffen CRUSHES Grant Hackett’s 800m freestyle World Record of 7:23.42 with a HUGE 7:20.46 🥶pic.twitter.com/FTTuyWcRYe

— Kyle Sockwell (@kylesockwell) December 10, 2023

The 43-year-old Aussie had held the 25m-pool 800m record since 2001 when he toppled Kieren Perkins’ record before going quicker again in 2008. Wiffen was just a few weeks old when Hackett became world champion at the distance for the first time.

Almost all of Hackett’s other records have now been broken — but it is a testament to his freakish performances that they have stood for this long.

Grant Hackett finishes his career in the 200 freestyle in 2016. Picture Dean Martin

Samuel Short bested Hackett’s 800m long course Australian record in July. Hackett still holds the Australian 1500m long course record.

The three-time Olympic gold medallist’s 1500m long course world record had stood for 11 years before China’s Sun Yang bested it in 2011.

Hackett’s 1500m short course record also stood for 15 years before Italy’s Gregorio Paltriniery took the mantle in 2015.

It’s easy to see why Wiffen’s performance is causing a stir in swimming circles.

“It’s amazing. I had so many people texting me saying I was going to break the world record,” Wiffen told BBC Sport.

“I was trying to keep it under wraps that I was kind of in the shape for it. This morning I felt horrible as well, which is kind of weird.

“It clearly proves that feeling doesn’t really have anything to do with it.”

Originally published as Aussie swimming legend Grant Hackett wiped from history