Sunday, August 17, 2008 - 1:09 PM

Grant Hackett has placed second in the 1,500 metres freestyle behind Oussama Mellouli, denying him the chance to become the first male swimmer to win the same event at three consecutive Games.

Despite a fantastic Olympic record swim in his heat, Hackett could not answer the challenge by the outsider from Tunisia who finished in a time of 14.40.84.

The Australian finished in 14.41.53 well short of his heat swim of 14.38.92 on Friday.

Canadian Ryan Cochrane, who led up to the 1000m, finished third in 14:42.69.

Mellouli, 24, has only recently served out an 18-month doping ban after becoming Tunisia's first swimming world champion with a come-from-behind win in the 800m freestyle at last year's world championships in Melbourne.

Mellouli was subsequently stripped of the gold medal after testing positive for amphetamines and completed his ban in May in time to swim at the Olympics.

Hackett's silver means Australia has failed to win a male individual gold medal at the Water Cube.

"I've got nothing left," a breathless Hackett told Channel Seven after the race.

"I've got to be happy with that. It's disappointing to get so close and get second. My heats swim would have won me that but it's OK. I know I finished with everything I had.

"I have got no regrets - but jeez it would have been nice to have won this."

Hackett refused to be drawn on his future after the race.

"I'm getting a bit older now and i'll wait and see how I feel after a nice long break."

Mellouli said he has been waiting for his moment of glory for two years since his doping ban.

"It's the redemption I wanted and I got it," Mellouli said.

"I had expectations for the 400m freestyle, but this is a great surprise.

"I felt good in the first 400m of this race and at the 800m and 900m I started believing that I could win.

"It was all calculated. I slowed down in the penultimate 100m to save my energy and attack in the final 50m.

Hackett was attempting to join fellow Australian Dawn Fraser, who triumphed in the women's 100m freestyle at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Games, and Hungarian Krisztina Egerszegi as the only athletes in history to complete the rare hat-trick in the pool.

Despite the unexpected result, Hackett's silver adds to Australia's eight golds and 23 medals in the 1,500m, the country's most successful event at the Olympics.