Hackett goes to extremes to miss illness (AAP)

Grant Hackett has never been one to cut corners but his efforts to avoid illness before the Beijing Olympics are something else. The two-time Olympic swimming champion is going to great lengths to avoid falling sick following his health problems at the last two Olympics. The 28-year-old suffered from a bout of glandular fever in Sydney before overcoming an ongoing chest condition to win back-to-back 1500m titles in Athens four years ago. For starters, the Australian swim team captain wears a humidifier face mask on flights to avoid germs from other passengers. That is only the start of his quirks. "Like a lot of people you don't touch hand railings, you don't share drink bottles ... my mind is always on doing everything correctly," he said. He even evades large gatherings to keep his health in good order. "You have to put... [read full story]