TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Hayden Kwan had one goal in his trip to Atlanta, Georgia this past weekend. Swim a qualifying time for the US Olympic Trials in the 200 meter backstroke. After coming so close in previous meets the Chiles High School co-Salutatorian made it happen in A-Town.
“I wear glasses so I can’t see the scoreboard, I can’t see my time," Kwan told ABC 27. "But I hear the announcer saying Hayden Kwan qualifies for the Olympics with a time of 2:02.9.”
With that impressive time Kwan will next head out for trip to Omaha, Nebraska where he’ll compete against some of the best swimmers in the country. United Swimming Club head coach Pavel Sankovich knows the experience he’ll get just from competing in the Olympic Trials will be invaluable for his career moving forward.”
“The entire stadium is cheering for you. It’s not only your team or country, it's everybody who’s present. So obviously that's a very valuable experience," says Sankovich.
And whether Hayden qualifies or not his journey inside the pool will be far from over. He plans on attending Stanford University this fall. The same program that helped shape the career of five-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky and many more. An end result of what he described as striking the right balance between working hard and enjoying what you do.
“I think it’s also finding the joy in swimming. I also enjoy to swim I don't find it a chore. It’s something that takes my mind off school," Kwan said.
A multi-time state swimming champion, co-Salutatorian of the class of 2021 and Stanford University commit. Rest assured you can bet on Kwan adding many more accomplishments to that list.
“I’m a father of two right now and for me working with this type of kid makes me think that I wish and hope my kid grows up to be someone like this," Sankovich added.
Hayden will compete in the 200 meter backstroke qualifiers June 6 at the C-H-I health Center in Omaha, Nebraska...
