With the 2024 Paris Olympics and Canadian pride soaring, why not explore Mission’s Superstar? Let's dive into the tale of Mission's own superstar, Brent Hayden, celebrated as the Fastest Swimmer In Canadian History.
The Tourism Mission team had the fortunate opportunity to have a chat with Brent Hayden to gain his insights on the ongoing Paris Olympics and more!
1. What are you most excited to see in the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Watching Summer McIntosh make history. She was my teammate at the Tokyo 2020 games as well as my 2nd season with the Toronto Titans in the former International Swim League. I'll never forget a specific moment, when we were all in staging camp before heading to Tokyo, and I was pushing myself pretty hard on a 50m in warm up, and I breathed to my left and saw she was keeping up with me, and that was incredibly humbling. On TV and from the pool deck it's obvious how good she is, but experiencing it first hand is something else.
2. What are your favorite things to do in Mission?
Other than visiting my parents and hanging out by their pool in the backyard? Well, my wife and I love the suspension bridge at Cascade Falls. Lunch at Blackberry Kitchen or grabbing coffee at The Penny. I know there are things I want to do more of, like Rocko's Diner, 14th Ave Pub (that new patio looks amazing by the way and they used to have a Brent Hayden Salmon Burger!). I haven't been to HUB Co Brewing yet but I'm hoping to do that soon.
3. What part did Mission play in your Journey to the Olympics?
I think there's a very real reason why I'm not the first swimmer from Mission to compete in the Olympics or even win a medal. The first was Gary MacDonald who won silver in the 4x100m Freestyle Relay at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. I'm also the 3rd swimmer to have ever held the Canadian Record for 50m Freestyle. The first being Gary MacDonald, the 2nd was Ryan Laurin in 1998. After swim practice, if I was ready before my sister, I would pass the time by hanging out in the Hall of Fame room at the original Leisure Centre. I would read the stories of both Gary and Ryan, plus the other notable athletes from Mission such as figure skater Eden Donatelli who won an Olympic medal in Calgary 1988. Reading their stories I would imagine what that would feel like and envision myself one day achieving an Olympic medal myself and seeing my name in the hall. I believe also the small town swim club feel of the Mission Marlins really made swimming fun, and made me feel like I was not just part of a team but part of a swimming family. There was also something incredibly special about seeing your name in the local Mission Record paper. Seeing my name in print made me feel like I was really making something of myself and pushed me more. I also played other sports growing up, like baseball and soccer, both of which I was horrible at. I even played on my Albert McMahon Elementary basketball team for my grade 7 year, and despite being the 2nd tallest on the team, I only managed one basket in the entire season in an exhibition game playing against our own women's team. But I think I really began to find my confidence when I joined the Mission Isshin Ryu Karate Club. From grade 6 - 10, I would leave school and go straight to swim practice, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, after swim practice was finished, I would change directly into my karate uniform, and exit out the fire exit to go across the back parking lot to the karate dojo under the Mac's (now Circle K). If it wasn't for the opportunities, and the people who made those opportunities available, and for the stories of hometown heroes that were proudly on display to inspire younger generations, I don't think I would have done what I did.
4. What was your favorite moment from the Olympics that you have attended?
Winning that Olympic medal is my favorite. But there were some moments right after that really hit me. One was bumping into Mark Tewksbury at the cafeteria afterwards. I was by myself because I was delayed from the rest of the team due to media interviews and drug testing. And to put this in perspective, Mark is a huge hero of mine. His gold medal in Barcelona is a historical Canadian moment. Hearing him tell me that seeing me win my medal made him cry had a huge impact on me. Later that night when I couldn't sleep, I was on my phone reading the articles that were coming out. There were two headlines that stuck out: "Mission: Accomplished" and "Mission: Possible". Which was really touching to see how they incorporated my hometown name into it. But then I read in the comments, and someone had posted a picture of a group of kids and parents who had gathered in the lobby at the Mission Leisure Centre. A bunch of them were holding signs with my name and words of encouragement. The picture was taken at the moment I won my medal and seeing all their faces was really moving and made me cry. I even recognized some familiar faces, particularly Shane McCormick who was my teammate for many years, who was the swimmer I aspired to be as fast as, and who helped me achieve my first notable victories as we swam relays together and won gold at the provincial championships.
Then of course, there's my Tokyo comeback. If I had to pick one, it would be that 4x100m Freestyle relay. We almost were out of qualification to even have a team at those games. But we came together and believed in ourselves, and go that spot in the final when no one believed we could. And then in the final we nearly came home with a medal being in the 3rd spot until the finish. I led off that relay in a 47.99 which made me the oldest swimmer in history to break 48 seconds, but touching the wall and seeing Josh Liendo dive in, for me that was a metaphorical passing of the torch and I've enjoyed watching him lead this new team.
Mission is incredibly fortunate to have such a remarkable athlete who has helped put our community on the map. Tourism Mission is immensely grateful to Brent for dedicating time to this interview. It has been a pleasure learning more about him, from his contributions to Mission to his enjoyment of all it has to offer.
