{"id":479306,"date":"2021-06-21T19:38:58","date_gmt":"2021-06-22T02:38:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=479306"},"modified":"2021-06-22T04:25:52","modified_gmt":"2021-06-22T11:25:52","slug":"canadian-olympic-trials-brent-hayden-sprints-into-fourth-olympics-in-50","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/canadian-olympic-trials-brent-hayden-sprints-into-fourth-olympics-in-50\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian Olympic Trials: Brent Hayden Sprints Into Fourth Olympics in 50"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canadian Olympic Trials: Brent Hayden Sprints Into Fourth Olympics in 50<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a 25-year-old, clad in a super suit, Brent Hayden<\/strong> was a 21.7 50 freestyler back in 2009. As a 37-year-old, in a textile suit, one retirement and three Olympic cycles later, Hayden is just a tenth of a second slower.<\/p>\n

Factor in the suits, and it\u2019s no contest: Hayden is swimming as well as ever. And the world champion is enjoying the journey more than ever.<\/p>\n

\"Brent

Brent Hayden; Photo Courtesy: Scott Grant\/Swimming Canada<\/p><\/div>\n

Hayden booked his place in the Tokyo Olympics, his fourth Games, by winning the 50 freestyle at Canadian Olympic Trials Monday. Hayden won the final in 21.82 seconds. It solidifies an A cut he set in May. His time is within nine hundredths of a second of Hayden\u2019s national record of 21.73, set in 2009.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels great,\u201d Hayden said. \u201cIf I swam that race with the same suit, that would\u2019ve been a Canadian record right there. That probably would\u2019ve been a 21.4 or 21.3 with the same suit. In a way, my body is actually performing better than it ever was before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hayden won bronze in the 100 freestyle at the 2012 Olympics in London. He retired from the sport in 2012, growing disillusioned with the sport. But he fell back in love with the water in 2019<\/a> and announced a comeback. What was supposed to be a brief sprint toward the 2020 Trials has turned into a two-year odyssey through the pandemic, via stops at the TYR Pro Swim Series and as a founding member of the Toronto Titans in the International Swimming League.<\/p>\n

And all along, Hayden has not just embraced the grind but flourished. He\u2019s swimming alongside teammates \u2013 like fellow sprinter Joshua Liendo<\/strong> \u2013 who weren\u2019t born when Hayden had his first Olympic cut. The oldest Olympic swimmer in Canadian history will be sharing a team in Tokyo with 14-year-old Summer McIntosh.<\/strong> And he\u2019s enjoying the ride.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of the greatest feelings ever,\u201d Hayden said. \u201cI\u2019ve never been this excited making an Olympic team. In the past, Olympic Trials had always been a step to get to the Olympics, but after being away from the sport for seven years and working against the odds \u2026. To be able to come here and be able to add Olympics No. 4, it\u2019s an amazing feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n