Grant Hackett's struggles in retirement a high price of Olympic and sporting fame
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I first met Grant Hackett around the time of the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, where he announced himself — not for the first time — as the new long-distance hero and heir apparent to reigning Olympic champion Kieren Perkins.
He was a well-mannered young man, clearly trying to soak up his new-found fame, while politely acquiescing to all the faintly absurd things TV journalists do to stage images.
Since that time, through his stellar career and his audacious comeback attempt to make the Rio Olympics, he has presented — publicly — as the same polite man.
But behind the scenes, the demons the two-time Olympic 1,500m freestyle champion has battled have been ugly.
He has openly admitted to those struggles and they appear to be continuing after being taken into custody by police on the Gold Coast following a disturbance at his parents' house.
Just 10 months ago Hackett, as he was apologising for the notorious nipple-tweaking episode, downplayed suggestions he has struggled without the structure of elite swimming to keep those demons at bay.
And only he knows whether that is true.
But there is plenty to suggest that this is a genuine problem for some retired sportspeople who find themselves adrift of the tight schedules and firm — if one dimensional — identity that sport provides.
In just over a week an organisation called Crossing The Line Sport will hold a summit, to be broadcast online, that will deal with the potentially tragic outcomes that arise when an athlete is not properly prepared for life beyond sport.
It is to help with the 'no man's land' that comes in the void after the bubble of single-minded dedication bursts, for people whose single mindedness is often the reason for their success.
A long list of sporting champions is taking part, a signal that this is a high price of sport that is still ongoing.
One of the mantras of Crossing The Line Sport is "asking for help is not a weakness".
Let us hope Grant Hackett and his family get all the help they need.
Topics: sport, olympics-summer, law-crime-and-justice, police, crime, mermaid-waters-4218
