Career
Athens was the location of the Hayden's first Olympics when he took part in the 2004 Summer Olympics as part of the Canadian swimming team. It was a disappointing first Olympic appearance for Brent as inexperience took it's toll on the 20 year old. It was further worsened when Brent was mistaken for a protester and beaten up and arrested by the riot police because he was "tall and wearing a dark shirt" the night before the Closing Ceremonies, a week after his competition ended. The injuries sustained left him unable to compete at the World Short Course Championships which were being held a month later. His best individual finish in Athens was 13th in the 200 m freestyle event.
In Melbourne for the 2006 Commonwealth Games Hayden won his first major international silver medal when he finished second in the 50 m, an event he had not even intended on racing. He also added three bronze medals at the same game, two from the relays and one in the 200&m freestyle final. These medals were a premonition of the success to come for Hayden at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships. There he managed to tie for the gold medal with the Italian swimmer in the 100 m freestyle, this was the first World Championship for the Canadians since 1986. In the process of winning the gold, Hayden had also shaved down his own national record in the event down to 48.43 and he also added a bronze from the World's in the 4 x 200 m freestyle relay. As a result of his victory, the mayor of Mission declared "Brent Hayden Day" on May 26, 2007. As well, the Mission Marlins renamed their swim meet to the "Brent Hayden Invitational" and a large mural, painted on the wall of the Mission Leisure Center, by artist Pascal A. Pelletier was unveiled.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics, he was a member of the Canadian team that finished sixth in the 4×100 m freestyle event and fifth in the 4×200 m event. Although he qualified third fastest out of sixteen swimmers, one place ahead of Michael Phelps, he did not compete in the semi-finals of the 200 m freestyle. Instead, his coach decided to rest him for the 4×100 m freestyle, which was held that same day (Hayden set a Canadian record in the opening leg with a time of 47.56). He finished out of the finals in the 100 m freestyle, again suffering disappointment at the Olympics. He was promoted as the best Canadian swimmer at these games, but only fellow long-distance freestyle Ryan Cochrane managed to medal for the nation in the pool.
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