Dimensions
156 x 236 x 21mm
The 1500m freestyle has been won by more Australians than swimmers of any other nationality. It is undoubtedly "Australia's race".
From Andrew "Boy" Charlton in 1924 to Grant Hackett eighty years later, the 1500m freestyle attracts our interest like no other swimming event. Whether it was Kieren Perkins vying for one, two and finally three Olympic golds, or the incredible feats of Murray Rose, John Konrads and the original "Superfish" Stephen Holland, the 1500m transfixes the nation. But why? Thirty laps of a pool hardly seems the stuff of edge-of-the-seat viewing, yet time and again the nation stops for those extraordinary fifteen minutes.
Now, as Athens 2004 draws nearer and Australians will once again be competing for the 1500m Olympic gold, Mike Colman examines the phenomenon of the event. He talks to the people who devoted their lives to winning it and gives the behind-scenes stories of Australia's race. The result is an event, its history and those who have competed in it brought vividly to life.
