Former Olympic swimming champion Grant Hackett has been found by police in Australia’s Gold Coast after going missing. Hackett, 36, was on Wednesday arrested and released without charge after becoming agitated at his parents’ home. On Thursday, his father appealed for help finding him, saying he was “disturbed” and needed urgent help. Nev Hackett later told local media his son had messaged his mother to say he was safe.
He’s spoken to police. He’s actually hiding because he’s very, very embarrassed about all this.
Grant Hackett’s father Nev
Local media reported Hackett indicated he would seek help after being released from police custody on Wednesday. His brother, Craig Hackett, said the former Olympian was “a danger to himself”. On Thursday, Hackett had posted a picture of himself on Instagram sporting a black eye. It was unclear when the image was taken. Hackett, who won gold medals in the 1,500m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle relay at Sydney 2000 and in the 1,500m freestyle at Athens 2004, had a long-standing rivalry with compatriot Ian Thorpe.