Brent Hayden facts for kids

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Brent Hayden

Personal information
Nickname(s)	"Soup"
Born	(1983-10-21) October 21, 1983 (age 41) Mission, British Columbia
Height	1.96 m
Weight	94 kg
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
Club	Vancouver Pacific Swim Club
College team	University of British Columbia
Medal record Men's swimming Representing  Canada Olympic Games Bronze 2012 London 100 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Gold 2007 Melbourne 100 m freestyle Silver 2005 Montreal 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2005 Montreal 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2011 Shanghai 100 m freestyle Bronze 2007 Melbourne 4×200 m freestyle Pan Pacific Championships Gold 2006 Victoria 100 m freestyle Silver 2006 Victoria 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2006 Victoria 4×200 m freestyle Silver 2010 Irvine 100 m freestyle Bronze 2002 Yokohama 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2002 Yokohama 4×100 m medley Bronze 2006 Victoria 50 m freestyle Bronze 2010 Irvine 50 m freestyle Commonwealth Games Gold 2010 Delhi 50 m freestyle Gold 2010 Delhi 100 m freestyle Silver 2006 Melbourne 50 m freestyle Bronze 2002 Manchester 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2002 Manchester 4×100 m medley Bronze 2006 Melbourne 200 m freestyle Bronze 2006 Melbourne 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2006 Melbourne 4×100 m medley

Brent Matthew Hayden (born October 21, 1983) is a retired Canadian competitive swimmer. He is known as one of Canada's fastest swimmers ever. Brent won a bronze medal in the 100-meter freestyle at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He was also a world champion in the same event in 2007.

Winning the 100-meter race made him the first Canadian in 21 years to win a gold medal at the World Aquatics Championships. He was also the first Canadian to reach the 100-meter final at the Olympics since 1960. Brent has won many medals, including three silver and one bronze at the World Championships. He still holds Canadian records in the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle races. After retiring in 2012, he made a comeback to compete at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Brent Hayden: Canada's Swimming Star

Early Career and Olympic Dreams

Brent Hayden's first time at the Olympics was at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. The Canadian swimming team did not win any medals that year. For Brent, it was a tough first Olympic experience. He was only 20 years old and still gaining experience. His best individual finish was thirteenth in the 200-meter freestyle. An incident after his races meant he could not compete in the World Short Course Championships later that year.

Commonwealth Games Success

In 2006, Brent went to the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. There, he won his first big international medal, a silver, in the 50-meter freestyle. He also earned three bronze medals at these games. Two were from relay races and one was in the 200-meter freestyle. These medals showed that more success was coming soon.

World Champion and Beijing Olympics

In 2007, Brent became a world champion at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships. He tied for the gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle with an Italian swimmer. This was Canada's first World Championship gold in swimming since 1986! He also set a new Canadian record in the 100-meter race. Brent also won a bronze medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. His hometown, Mission, British Columbia, even declared "Brent Hayden Day" to celebrate his victory. A large mural of him was painted at the Mission Leisure Center.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Brent was part of the Canadian team. They finished sixth in the 4×100-meter freestyle and fifth in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay. Brent set a new Canadian record in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. However, he did not make it to the final in his main event, the 100-meter freestyle, even though he was the world champion.

London Olympics and First Retirement

Hayden with his London 2012 bronze medal at the Olympic Heroes Parade in Toronto (September 2012)

At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships, Brent finished fourth in the 100-meter freestyle. He set a new Canadian record but missed a medal by a tiny amount. He was the only swimmer in the final who chose not to wear the newest "super suits."

Brent returned strong at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. He won gold medals in both the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter freestyle. He set new Games records in both events. At the time, he was ranked number one in the world for the 100-meter freestyle. In 2011, he won a silver medal in the 100-meter freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships.

After previous Olympic disappointments, Brent finally reached the 100-meter final at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He won a bronze medal for Canada in the 100-meter freestyle. This medal was a huge moment for him. He said it was something he had dreamed of for a long time. Brent announced his retirement from swimming after the London Olympics. He felt proud of his team and believed in their future success.

The Comeback: Tokyo 2020 Olympics

After Brent retired, the Canadian men's swimming team faced challenges. However, Brent was inspired by the new direction of the program. After seven years away from the pool, he decided to make a comeback in September 2019. He trained for only six months and met the Olympic qualifying time for the 50-meter freestyle. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the 2020 Summer Olympics by a year. Brent said this extra time helped him get back into top shape.

In 2021, Brent won the 50-meter freestyle at the Canadian Olympic Trials. This was his fourth time representing Canada at the Olympics. He chose not to swim the 100-meter race in Tokyo to avoid back problems. Brent's return helped lead the men's team. They surprisingly finished fourth in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay, just missing a bronze medal. Brent swam the first part of the relay very fast. At 37 years old, he became the oldest man to swim under 48 seconds in the 100-meter freestyle. He also reached the semi-finals in the 50-meter freestyle, setting his fastest time ever in that event. Brent felt happy with his decision to return to swimming.

More About Brent

Personal Life and Hobbies

Even though he became a great swimmer, Brent had to repeat his swimming lessons as a child! His friends call him "Soup" because he has a Superman tattoo on his chest. Brent was born in Mission, British Columbia, but now lives in Vancouver. He studied at the University of British Columbia. He also has a black belt in Isshin Ryu karate. After the 2012 Olympics, Brent married Nadina Zarifeh, a singer/songwriter, in Lebanon.

Brent appeared on a TV show called Canada's Smartest Person in 2014. He and his wife also created their own athletic clothing brand called Astra Athletica. Brent enjoys photography and has shown his photos in several exhibitions. He first retired from swimming because of back pain and depression. While filming a video for a swimming camp in 2020, he swam a sprint and realized he was still very fast. This made him decide to make his amazing comeback.

Awards and Recognition

Brent Hayden has received many awards for his swimming achievements:

• 2005 Canadian Swimmer of the Year
• 2005 Canadian Partners of the Year
• 2006 Canadian Swimmer of the Year
• 2006 BC Athlete of the Year
• 2007 Canadian Swimmer of the Year
• 2007 BC Athlete of the Year
• 2007 Canadian Athlete of the Year
• 2012 Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal Recipient
• 2013 BC Sports Hall Of Fame Induction (Class of 2013)

See also

• List of Canadian records in swimming
• List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (men)
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
• World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay
• World record progression 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay