Australian swimming icon Grant Hackett believes that some Chinese swimmers will "come out of the woodwork" at next year's Beijing Olympic Games and avenge the nation's disappointment at the recent World Championships.

The 26-year-old, who is going for a third consecutive gold medal in 1,500m freestyle, said that the Chinese swimmers in Melbourne last month did not come close to fulfilling their potential, adding weight to rumors that China's team at the Worlds was not as strong as it could have been.

"Everybody expects China to do well. We have seen what they've been capable of doing in the past, not just swimming but also in other sports," he said during a group interview in Beijing.

"People expect China to do well, and how they performed at the World Championships was not a true indication of what they are capable of.

"In lots of events they can get themselves up a lot more. I think lots of people believe they are hiding a few golden cards that they are going to pull out come the Olympic Games," said the swimmer, whose career haul of three Olympic gold medals and 10 World Championship titles makes him one of the greatest long distance swimmers of all time.

"I'm a believer in that too. I think they are going to improve immensely, we know what China is capable of. I think China will improve, and we will see a lot of athletes come out of the woodwork."

China won just two medals in the tournament the worst result in the team's history with the sole positives Wu Peng claiming silver in men's 200m butterfly and the women's 400m medley relay team winning bronze.

"I don't think a nation with over 1.3 billion people lacks talent. There is plenty of talent here, maybe it (the result in Melbourne) had something to do with training and preparation. They can improve sometimes having a bad performance a year and a half out can be constructive it really gets you on the ball."

But, he added, the incentive is there for the team to excel.

"There is none more motivating a factor than being able to win a gold medal in front of your home country - I know how it felt in Sydney," he said.

"My advice is do everything right in preparation and don't give yourself an opportunity for regret you only have one chance to win in front of your home crowd. It's a wonderful experience."

Lost his crown

China's swimmers were not the only ones to struggle in Melbourne last month.

Hackett himself lost the 1,500m crown he had held since 1996, finishing a lowly seventh in a race won by Poland's Mateusz Sawrymowicz, but he is determined to be back to his best in Beijing.

"That in itself is a huge motivating factor. Not for other people it's a personal goal, to achieve that standard of swimming again and go beyond it."

To ensure nothing is left to chance, Hackett is going to embark on a grueling training regime that will see him swim the equivalent of the length of the Great Wall before the Games.

"My coach has every week planned between now and Beijing, everything is very organized and I'm looking forward to being able to execute it."

Asked if swimming in the region of 6,400km might be going a little too far, he said he had the experience to know what his body is capable of, especially after suffering a collapsed lung prior to the 2004 Athens Games as a result of excessive training.

"You've got to listen to your body all the time (in the past) my enthusiasm stopped me. Previously I trained hard but didn't train smart. It took me a while to learn the lessons, but now I have."

As captain of the Australian swimming team, Hackett knows that the biggest challenge facing any nation is overcoming an all-conquering United States team.

"The US is the dominant nation, they set the standard. The rest of the world must come up to their level if they want to be competitive next year."

Thorpedo blow

Australia's chances at toppling the United States suffered a major blow following Ian Thorpe's surprise retirement last year.

US superstar Michael Phelps recently said that he believes there is still time for the "Thorpedo" to come back, but Hackett dismissed the suggestion.

"He won't be competing. He's got closure from the sport now, he's happy with what he's been able to achieve."

"It would be great to have him there, he is irreplaceable in the team. I know someone like Michael Phelps would love to get up against him in the 200m freestyle, compete against him again. Ian kind of beat him last time he's always wanted to compete against him again."

Hackett also reiterated his support for Thorpe as he battles against recent allegations in a French newspaper that he tested positive for excessive testosterone last year.

"The drug allegations really hurt him personally, people tried to tarnish the things he achieved. That's been difficult for him, personally he felt those effects, but at end of the day he turned a negative result.

"They are allegations, they don't have any substance. It's part of sport and I'd like to see drug testing move forward. You just hope if you do perform well it isn't overshadowed by something like that."

(China Daily April 24, 2007)