Brent Hayden will take that B次元官网网址渟eniors discountB次元官网网址� at the pool in order to swim fast.

Almost nine years after winning an Olympic bronze medal in the menB次元官网网址檚 100-metre freestyle, the 37-year-old from Mission, B.C., says quality training, not quantity, will get him back on the Olympic starting blocks.

B次元官网网址淔or me, I call it the seniorsB次元官网网址� discount when the groupB次元官网网址檚 doing three rounds and Brent is only doing two rounds. Perfect,B次元官网网址� Hayden told The Canadian Press on Thursday.

B次元官网网址淭raining programs need to be tailored to the athlete.B次元官网网址�

Rest and recovery are important for Hayden particularly during his current arduous training block at the University of British Columbia Aquatic Centre.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e in a work phase right now and heB次元官网网址檚 getting a little beat up, but heB次元官网网址檚 swimming fast,B次元官网网址� his coach Tom Johnson said.

B次元官网网址淗e canB次元官网网址檛 do the work that a 22 or 24-year-old can do, but the work he does is high quality. The respect factor the people in his training group have for him is really high.B次元官网网址�

Hayden, the 2007 world champion and 2011 world runner-up in the 100 freestyle, got back into the pool after a seven-year hiatus because he fell in love with swimming again.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 excited to get up on the blocks and put a real stamp on this whole comeback thing,B次元官网网址� Hayden said.

CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Olympic swim trials in April in Toronto and by extension this summerB次元官网网址檚 Tokyo Summer Olympics are his goals if the COVID-19 pandemic doesnB次元官网网址檛 derail them.

B次元官网网址淢y wife and I were already discussing what if Tokyo doesnB次元官网网址檛 happen?B次元官网网址� Hayden said. B次元官网网址淒oes that mean this whole comeback would have been for nothing? I donB次元官网网址檛 think so.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 feeling like IB次元官网网址檓 only getting stronger and faster, so if Tokyo doesnB次元官网网址檛 happen, do I just commit and decide B次元官网网址榶ou know what? IB次元官网网址檓 going to go to Paris in 2024 and compete as a 40-year-old.B次元官网网址� Is that what my story is going to be? That is a possibility.B次元官网网址�

Nutrition, training methods and sport science have extended athletesB次元官网网址� careers.

Brazilian swimmer Nicholas Santos still competes internationally at age 40 and American Dana Torres was 41 at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Less than six months into his comeback, Hayden swam under the 50-metre freestyle Olympic qualifying standard in Des Moines, Iowa.

He captained the International Swimming LeagueB次元官网网址檚 Toronto Titans in Budapest, Hungary in October and November.

Hayden swam mostly relays, but banking 15 races in a pandemic-decimated season was key to shedding race rust.

B次元官网网址淏次元官网网址滺e just got better and better swimming against the best in the world over a five-week time period,B次元官网网址� Johnson said.

Hayden had fallen out of love with swimming by the time he stepped on the podium in London in 2012.

Back spasms that made walking painful and the immense pressure Hayden put on himself to produce an Olympic medal on his third try put him in a dark place.

B次元官网网址淚 was teetering on the edge of depression there for awhile,B次元官网网址� Hayden recalled. B次元官网网址淭hat definitely weighed into my decision to retire when I did. If I continued swimming, I saw myself going deeper into that hole. ItB次元官网网址檚 not a place I wanted to go.

B次元官网网址淲hen I did leave, the sport was not in a good place in my heart.B次元官网网址�

Hayden continued to hold swim camps across Canada, but rarely worked out in the pool.

He searched out a pool to shoot an instructional video in the summer of 2019, when he and wife Nadina Zarifeh were in Lebanon.

B次元官网网址淕etting in the water and putting myself through these drills, I started to realize I felt amazing,B次元官网网址� Hayden recalled.

B次元官网网址淢y stroke felt really finely tuned, which was weird. I started playing around with my speed a little bit.B次元官网网址�

He returned to competition with a different lens on his sport and himself. Hayden is comfortably frank about the mental struggles that contributed to his retirement at 28.

B次元官网网址淐oming back into the sport now, IB次元官网网址檓 in such a healthy state of mind,B次元官网网址� Hayden said.

B次元官网网址淚 definitely came up through the (ranks) feeling if you were struggling emotionally, you donB次元官网网址檛 want your teammates or your competitors to see that because you donB次元官网网址檛 want to be viewed as weak.

B次元官网网址淲hat IB次元官网网址檓 hoping others will see is allowing yourself to be vulnerable actually takes more courage than holding it in.B次元官网网址�

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press

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