Robert William Hackett, Jr. (born August 15, 1959) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. He represented the United States at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec as a 16-year-old, where he won a silver medal in the men's 1500-meter freestyle, finishing behind U.S. teammate Brian Goodell.[1]
He was trained by coach Joe Bernal. Bernal, the former head coach of Bernal's Gator Swim Club in Boston, Massachusetts, was known to have given Hackett 100 x 100 yard sets on the 1:00 interval. Hackett still holds one of the oldest National Age Group records, a 15:03.91 in the 1,500-meter freestyle (long-course meters). He set the record by shattering the previous record at the 1976 Olympics.
As of 2012, Hackett was living and working in the New York metro area, near where he grew up. He has made a living in commercial real estate and is volunteer coaching with the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester Marlins.[2] He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1986.[3] Hackett now coaches part-time for Emory University's swimming and diving team.
