Brent Hayden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
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 2006 Melbourne 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 represented Canada for ten years. Many people consider Hayden the fastest swimmer in Canadian history.

Hayden won a bronze medal in the 100 meter freestyle at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He also became a world champion in the same event in 2007. He shared that gold medal with Filippo Magnini from Italy. This made Hayden 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 Dick Pound in 1960. Hayden earned three more silver medals and one bronze at the World Championships.

Brent Hayden holds the Canadian record for the 200 meter and 100 meter freestyle events. This includes both short-course and long-course swimming. He also held world records in two relay events. Hayden first retired after the 2012 London Olympics. However, he returned to swimming seven years later. He competed again at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Swimming Career Highlights

Early Olympic Experiences

Hayden's first Olympic Games were the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. The Canadian swimming team did not win any medals that year. It was a tough first Olympics for Hayden, who was 20 years old. His best individual finish was thirteenth in the 200-meter freestyle. After his events, he was mistaken for a protester and arrested. This caused injuries that stopped him from competing in the World Short Course Championships.

In 2006, Hayden won his first big international medal. He earned a silver in the 50 meter freestyle at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. He also won three bronze medals there. These included two from relay races and one in the 200-meter freestyle.

Becoming a World Champion

These medals showed what was to come at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships. Hayden tied for a gold medal in the 100 meter freestyle. This was Canada's first World Championship gold in swimming since 1986. He also set a new national record of 48.43 seconds. Hayden also won a bronze medal in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay.

After his victory, his hometown of Mission, British Columbia, celebrated "Brent Hayden Day." They also renamed their local swim meet the "Brent Hayden Invitational." A large mural of him was painted at the Mission Leisure Center.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Hayden was part of the Canadian team. They finished sixth in the 4×100 meter freestyle and fifth in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay. Hayden chose to rest for the relay and did not compete in the 200 meter freestyle semi-finals. He also did not make the final in the 100 meter freestyle.

Olympic Medal and First Retirement

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

Hayden competed at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships. He placed fourth in the 100 meter freestyle. He set a new Canadian record of 47.27 seconds. He missed a medal by only 0.02 seconds. Hayden was the only swimmer in that final who did not wear one of the newer "super suits."

He returned strong at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. He set Games records in both the 50 meter freestyle and 100 meter freestyle. He won gold in both events. In the 100 meter freestyle, he finished 0.56 seconds ahead of the silver medalist. Hayden was ranked number one in the world for this event at the time.

In 2011, Hayden won a silver medal in the 100 meter freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships. He had been working on improving his first 50 meters, as he was known for his strong finish.

After not reaching the 100 meter final in previous Olympics, he made it in 2012. He became the first Canadian to do so since 1960. He then won a bronze medal for Canada at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 100 meter freestyle. This medal was a huge moment for Hayden. He said it was something he had dreamed of for a long time. Hayden announced his retirement from swimming after the 4×100-meter medley relay at the Olympics.

Comeback for Tokyo 2020

After Hayden and other top swimmers retired, the Canadian men's swim team struggled. However, the women's team saw great success. Hayden was inspired by the new direction of the program. In September 2019, after seven years away, he announced his comeback.

After only six months of training, Hayden met the Olympic qualifying time. He swam the 50 meter freestyle in 21.97 seconds. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 Summer Olympics to be delayed by a year. Hayden later said this extra time helped him get back into top shape.

In 2021, Hayden won the 50 meter freestyle at the Canadian Olympic Trials. This was his fourth time representing Canada at the Olympics. He chose not to compete in the 100 meter event in Tokyo. He and his coaches worried it might cause back problems. Hayden's return helped lead the men's team. They surprisingly finished fourth in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay. They were only 0.3 seconds behind the bronze medal winners. Hayden swam the first part of the relay in 47.99 seconds. This made him the oldest man, at 37, to swim under 48 seconds. He also reached the semi-finals in the 50 meter freestyle. He missed the final by just 0.04 seconds.

About Brent Hayden

As a child, Brent Hayden had to repeat his swimming lessons. He is known as "Soup" to his friends. This nickname comes from a Superman tattoo on his chest. Hayden was born and grew up in Mission, British Columbia. He 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 London Games, Hayden married Nadina Zarifeh. She is a singer and songwriter. They got married in Lebanon on August 19, 2012.

In 2014, Hayden appeared on the CBC television show Canada's Smartest Person. He was a competitor but did not win.

He and his wife, Nadina, started their own clothing line. It is called Astra Athletica. They still run this business today.

Hayden also enjoys photography. He has shown his photos in several exhibitions. He first retired from swimming in 2012 because he struggled with his health, including back problems. He ran a swimming camp. In 2020, during a video shoot in Beirut, he did a sprint swim for the kids. He realized his time was still very good, which made him decide to return to competitive swimming.

Awards and Recognition

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

See also

In Spanish: Brent Hayden para niños

• 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