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Mellouli's High Noon Takes The Crown

Dec 19, 2010  - Craig Lord

Dubai, world s/c championships, day 5 finals:

Men's 1,500m freestyle

Oussama Mellouli clocked 14:24.10, an African record, in the second of the three slower heats earlier in the day. And that was that, gold his despite the drop of an entry time over which doubt was cast to deny him access to the evening session's fastest heat of a heat-declared winner event. The silver went to the man who finished ahead this evening: Mads Glaesner (DEN), on 15:29.52, the bronze to Gergely Gyurta (HUN) in 15:31.47. Fourth place went to Federico Colbertaldo (ITA) in 14:33.92, fifth top Peter Vanderkaay (USA) from morning heats in 14:35.25 

The drum beats of a huge Tunisian contingent of expats living in Dubai will echo through the night after coach Dave Salo's charge over in California added the world s/c title to his world l/c and Olympic crowns. 

The result:

  • Mellouli - 100m 54.74; 200m 1:52.02; 300m 2:49.81; 400m 3:47.53; 500m 4:45.33; 600m 5:43.07; 700m 6:41.07; 800m 7:38.95; 900m 8:36.87; 1000m 9:34.81; 1100m 10:33.48; 1200m 11:32.54; 1300m 12:31.67; 1400m 13:28.84; 1500m 14:24.16
  • Glasener 14:29.52
  • Gyurta   14:31.47
  • Colbertaldo 14:33.92
  • Vanderkaay 14:35.25
  • Sebastien Rouault (FRA) 14:42.79
  • Ahmed Mathlouthi (TUN)  14:43.25
  • Lucas Kanieski (BRA)    14:45.51

History in the making:

World s/c Podiums

  • 2010: 14:24.16; 14:29.52; 14:31.47
  • 2008: 14:22.98; 14:36.30; 14:43.37
  • 2006: 14:23.92; 14:33.28; 14:42.82

Most world titles in this event:  

  • 3 - Grant Hackett (AUS), 1997, 99, 02; Yuri Prilukov (RUS), 2004, 06, 08. 

Records (TB = best ever in a textile suit)

  • WR: 14:10.10 Grant Hackett (AUS) 07.08.01
  • TB: 14:16.13 Yuri Prilukov (RUS) 09.12.06

Most world records in this event (since specific 25m records began in 1991): 

  • 2 - Kieren Perkins (AUS), 1992-98; Grant Hackett (AUS), 1998-2010 

All-time textile rankings top 5:

  • 14:10.10 Hackett 2002
  • 14:16.13 Prilukov 2006
  • 14:21.24 Colbertaldo 2008
  • 14:24.54 Sawrymowicz 2007
  • 14:26.52 Perkins 1994

From the archive

The world short-course championships in Gothenburg in 1997 witnessed the arrival in global senior waters of a man who would become the fastest 1,500m freestyle ace, long- and short-course ever over 10 years in which he would go unbeaten, his victory parade including two Olympic crowns, four world-long course titles and three world short-course titles. The first of those came his way in a championship record of 14:39.54. Born at Southport on the Gold Coast, in Queensland, Hackett boasted a lung capacity four times that of an average man. In 1997 he was just 16. He would be 26 before he was beaten over 30 laps in a long-course pool. In March 2007, at a home world titles in Melbourne in the wake of shoulder surgery, Hackett finished 6th in a final won by Mateus Sawrymowicz (POL). A week later, Hackett married Australian singer Candice Alley. In 2008 he sought what would have been a record third Olympic 1,500m crown: he fell just 0.6sec shy, taking silver behind a crown that passed to US-based Tunisian Oussama Mellouli.