Grant Hackett, the Olympic swimming legend, has announced his retirement at the age of just 28. He made his announcement at the Swimming Australia awards ceremony on Monday.

Although the swimmer is only 28 years of age, he feels like he has been “doing this for a long time”.

He has certainly managed to achieve a lot within a relatively short space of time. Hackett won gold in the 1500 metres at the Olympic Games in Athens and Sydney but he was beaten into second place by Tunisian swimmer, Oussama Mellouli, during this year’s competition in Beijing.

These memories will not be forgotten by Hackett, who spoke fondly of competing in front of a “home crowd” during the Sydney Olympics and being part of a “wonderful team” throughout his swimming career.

Overall, Hackett retires with an impressive total of seven Olympic medals and ten world championship gold medals. Furthermore, he currently holds the world record for the 1500 metres and the 800 metres freestyle.

Surprisingly, Hackett will now start a career with a bank in Australia but, somewhat less surprisingly, he is also a regular sports pundit on Australian television.

Legends in the world of swimming were quick to comment on Hackett’s announcement. Kieren Perkins spoke of his exceptional ability as an athlete, whilst Stephanie Rice revealed the “huge loss” felt by the world of swimming following the swimmer’s retirement.

Rice continued to state her belief that Hackett would remain close to the Australian swimming team, providing invaluable motivation and advice.