It's good to be "connected"...
to BHO. 
Not only did I talk Peter into checking my bio lab report this week (thanks Peter!), I got the Clinique hook-up from Aims and John sent me this super-duper, unedited version of his Brendan feature article....Enjoy!
By John Lohn
The date was August 13, 2000, a Sunday night in Indianapolis. Standing on the deck of the Indiana University Natatorium, a renowned facility that has fulfilled numerous dreams, Brendan Hansen was 10 minutes removed from the end of his first dip into the pressure-cooker that is the United States Olympic Trials.
He had just placed third in the 200-meter breaststroke, an agonizing 15 hundredths of a second from earning a trip to the Sydney Games. It was his second third-place showing of the week, complementing his finish in the 100 breast. Really, there isn't a worse position at the Olympic Trials. There's first and second, and last. Such is the cruel nature of an event that can define a career.
Indeed, that competition was a career-defining moment for Hansen, at the time an 18-year-old just two months removed from collecting his high school diploma. Sure, there was pain, the sting of a near miss in the chase to reach the biggest stage in sports. But, adopting an approach that defied his teenage years, Hansen looked ahead. He knew, without a doubt, that his time would come.
"I'm only going to keep working harder and get better," he said in Indy. "My best days are ahead of me."
Six years later, Hansen stands alone in his domain of the swimming world, the finest breaststroker on the planet and the most dominating man to ever contest his specialty discipline. His portfolio is jammed with international accolades, including a trifecta of Olympic medals from Athens and 11 world-championship medals, nine of the golden variety.
If Hansen walked away from the sport tomorrow, the Southeastern Pennsylvania native could do so without regret. Yet, Hansen continues to gaze ahead. Continues to get faster. Continues to take the breaststroke to never-before-seen heights, as illustrated by his performances at the United States National Championships and Pan Pacific Championships.
With the Beijing Games less than two years away, a question has emerged: How low can Hansen take the one-man limbo contest that is the breaststroke?
THE SHOW
When Hansen arrived at the William Woollett Aquatic Center for the start of Nationals, a little more than two years had passed since he exorcised the demons from Indianapolis. It was in July of 2004 when Hansen burned up the pool in Long Beach, California by popping world-record swims in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events in his second dabble with the Olympic Trials.
Four years of grind-it-out training under Eddie Reese at the University of Texas had prepared Hansen for his reversal of fortune. Not that he required any luck. His motivation got the job done. Consequently, Hansen expressed disappointment a month later when he secured silver in the 100 breast and bronze in the 200 breast at the Olympics. He wanted double-gold, nothing less.
Not surprisingly, then, Hansen went back to work. As was the case leaving Indy, Hansen embarked on a mission. He would establish himself as the undisputed ruler of the breaststroke, to the point where there was no room for debate. He would make the breaststroke his kingdom. Challengers to his throne would be demoralized, certain they could not compete with Hansen.
That day has arrived.
While the buzz at Nationals surrounded the potential for a handful of global standards, Hansen exited the meet as the only world-record setter. After dropping his 100 breast mark from 59.30 to 59.13 on the opening night of action, Hansen – fittingly – highlighted the last night of competition with a history-making swim in the 200 breast. Under record pace at every wall, Hansen shredded his former standard of 2:09.04 with a hard-to-fathom effort of 2:08.74.
Since Athens, Hansen has been untouchable. He left last summer's World Championships in Montreal a perfect three-for-three, including a decision of Japan's Kosuke Kitajima in the 100 breast. It was Kitajima who denied Hansen gold in Athens, although controversy surrounded their final in the 100 distance. En route to victory, Kitajima clearly benefited from the use of a dolphin kick, then an outlawed maneuver in the event, and narrowly beat Hansen to the wall.
Still, Hansen didn't sulk. He did what he does best and refocused. These days, Kitajima is in the rear-view mirror, a fact he learned in an up-close-and-personal way two weeks after Nationals ended. Racing next to Kitajima at the Pan Pacific Championships, Hansen won the 100 and 200 breast events, his triumph in the 200 arriving in 2:08.50, good for another world record and a two-plus second rout of Kitajima.
"The beauty of the stroke is that you can hear the crowd," Hansen said. "You can hear their encouragement and that's something that boosts me up. I feed off that. This whole summer has been real special for me so far. It was just a matter of me putting all the little things together. But I think there's more out there. I can get faster."
A LEVEL ALL HIS OWN
What Hansen has done to his specialty on the male side resembles what Australian Leisel Jones has done to the female version of the stroke. Both athletes have distanced themselves so far from the competition that no legitimate rivals exist. While Kitajima was a worthy foe through Athens, Hansen has taken the upper hand in the rivalry.
As he raised his career title total to six at Nationals, Hansen raced alone. In the 100 breast, he prevailed by 1.94 seconds over Scott Usher. In the 200 breast, his margin of victory was 2.64 seconds over Eric Shanteau, a training partner for the summer. The video footage was equally impressive, as Hansen's command was so gripping that he was the only athlete visible heading into the wall.
After the Pan Pacific Champs, Hansen owned the four-fastest times in history in the 100 breast and eight of the 12-fastest efforts. As for the 200 breast, he possessed the top three slots and seven of the 13-quickest marks ever produced. More, Hansen has been known on the global stage since 1999, when he made his international debut at the World Short Course Championships. Rarely is a swimmer, particularly a breaststroker, able to reign for what is closing in on a decade.
Nonetheless, don't expect Hansen to rest. Always a self-motivator, Hansen has embraced the clock as his fiercest rival. And, he's on the lookout for someone – anyone – who might be able to provide a serious challenge in the days leading to Beijing. In the meantime, he'll push himself in practice, as he trains alongside a top-flight group with Longhorn Aquatics that features Aaron Peirsol and Ian Crocker, fellow world-record holders.
"One of things that's most important is that I've surrounded myself with positive people," Hansen said. "If I ever want to take it easy, I have guys who are going to make me get back it. We motivate each other. There's a target on my back, and I'm aware of that. I'm going to keep working toward 2008. I just want to keep raising the bar."
Or, as far as times are concerned, take the limbo stick a little lower.
And in case they didn't see it in the comments - Happy Belated B'day Sila and Enyo!
Not only did I talk Peter into checking my bio lab report this week (thanks Peter!), I got the Clinique hook-up from Aims and John sent me this super-duper, unedited version of his Brendan feature article....Enjoy!
By John Lohn
The date was August 13, 2000, a Sunday night in Indianapolis. Standing on the deck of the Indiana University Natatorium, a renowned facility that has fulfilled numerous dreams, Brendan Hansen was 10 minutes removed from the end of his first dip into the pressure-cooker that is the United States Olympic Trials.
He had just placed third in the 200-meter breaststroke, an agonizing 15 hundredths of a second from earning a trip to the Sydney Games. It was his second third-place showing of the week, complementing his finish in the 100 breast. Really, there isn't a worse position at the Olympic Trials. There's first and second, and last. Such is the cruel nature of an event that can define a career.
Indeed, that competition was a career-defining moment for Hansen, at the time an 18-year-old just two months removed from collecting his high school diploma. Sure, there was pain, the sting of a near miss in the chase to reach the biggest stage in sports. But, adopting an approach that defied his teenage years, Hansen looked ahead. He knew, without a doubt, that his time would come.
"I'm only going to keep working harder and get better," he said in Indy. "My best days are ahead of me."
Six years later, Hansen stands alone in his domain of the swimming world, the finest breaststroker on the planet and the most dominating man to ever contest his specialty discipline. His portfolio is jammed with international accolades, including a trifecta of Olympic medals from Athens and 11 world-championship medals, nine of the golden variety.
If Hansen walked away from the sport tomorrow, the Southeastern Pennsylvania native could do so without regret. Yet, Hansen continues to gaze ahead. Continues to get faster. Continues to take the breaststroke to never-before-seen heights, as illustrated by his performances at the United States National Championships and Pan Pacific Championships.
With the Beijing Games less than two years away, a question has emerged: How low can Hansen take the one-man limbo contest that is the breaststroke?
THE SHOW
When Hansen arrived at the William Woollett Aquatic Center for the start of Nationals, a little more than two years had passed since he exorcised the demons from Indianapolis. It was in July of 2004 when Hansen burned up the pool in Long Beach, California by popping world-record swims in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events in his second dabble with the Olympic Trials.
Four years of grind-it-out training under Eddie Reese at the University of Texas had prepared Hansen for his reversal of fortune. Not that he required any luck. His motivation got the job done. Consequently, Hansen expressed disappointment a month later when he secured silver in the 100 breast and bronze in the 200 breast at the Olympics. He wanted double-gold, nothing less.
Not surprisingly, then, Hansen went back to work. As was the case leaving Indy, Hansen embarked on a mission. He would establish himself as the undisputed ruler of the breaststroke, to the point where there was no room for debate. He would make the breaststroke his kingdom. Challengers to his throne would be demoralized, certain they could not compete with Hansen.
That day has arrived.
While the buzz at Nationals surrounded the potential for a handful of global standards, Hansen exited the meet as the only world-record setter. After dropping his 100 breast mark from 59.30 to 59.13 on the opening night of action, Hansen – fittingly – highlighted the last night of competition with a history-making swim in the 200 breast. Under record pace at every wall, Hansen shredded his former standard of 2:09.04 with a hard-to-fathom effort of 2:08.74.
Since Athens, Hansen has been untouchable. He left last summer's World Championships in Montreal a perfect three-for-three, including a decision of Japan's Kosuke Kitajima in the 100 breast. It was Kitajima who denied Hansen gold in Athens, although controversy surrounded their final in the 100 distance. En route to victory, Kitajima clearly benefited from the use of a dolphin kick, then an outlawed maneuver in the event, and narrowly beat Hansen to the wall.
Still, Hansen didn't sulk. He did what he does best and refocused. These days, Kitajima is in the rear-view mirror, a fact he learned in an up-close-and-personal way two weeks after Nationals ended. Racing next to Kitajima at the Pan Pacific Championships, Hansen won the 100 and 200 breast events, his triumph in the 200 arriving in 2:08.50, good for another world record and a two-plus second rout of Kitajima.
"The beauty of the stroke is that you can hear the crowd," Hansen said. "You can hear their encouragement and that's something that boosts me up. I feed off that. This whole summer has been real special for me so far. It was just a matter of me putting all the little things together. But I think there's more out there. I can get faster."
A LEVEL ALL HIS OWN
What Hansen has done to his specialty on the male side resembles what Australian Leisel Jones has done to the female version of the stroke. Both athletes have distanced themselves so far from the competition that no legitimate rivals exist. While Kitajima was a worthy foe through Athens, Hansen has taken the upper hand in the rivalry.
As he raised his career title total to six at Nationals, Hansen raced alone. In the 100 breast, he prevailed by 1.94 seconds over Scott Usher. In the 200 breast, his margin of victory was 2.64 seconds over Eric Shanteau, a training partner for the summer. The video footage was equally impressive, as Hansen's command was so gripping that he was the only athlete visible heading into the wall.
After the Pan Pacific Champs, Hansen owned the four-fastest times in history in the 100 breast and eight of the 12-fastest efforts. As for the 200 breast, he possessed the top three slots and seven of the 13-quickest marks ever produced. More, Hansen has been known on the global stage since 1999, when he made his international debut at the World Short Course Championships. Rarely is a swimmer, particularly a breaststroker, able to reign for what is closing in on a decade.
Nonetheless, don't expect Hansen to rest. Always a self-motivator, Hansen has embraced the clock as his fiercest rival. And, he's on the lookout for someone – anyone – who might be able to provide a serious challenge in the days leading to Beijing. In the meantime, he'll push himself in practice, as he trains alongside a top-flight group with Longhorn Aquatics that features Aaron Peirsol and Ian Crocker, fellow world-record holders.
"One of things that's most important is that I've surrounded myself with positive people," Hansen said. "If I ever want to take it easy, I have guys who are going to make me get back it. We motivate each other. There's a target on my back, and I'm aware of that. I'm going to keep working toward 2008. I just want to keep raising the bar."
Or, as far as times are concerned, take the limbo stick a little lower.
And in case they didn't see it in the comments - Happy Belated B'day Sila and Enyo!
posted by Michelle at
10/18/2006 12:19:00 AM
5 Comments:
I love the article John. Thanks for the scoop. Today I was looking at the schedule for world championships in March and it looks like Brendan will be swimming every day/night with the exception of Saturday if he swims all his events, including the 50. So Australia will get the treat they would have loved to have have gotten 6 years ago!
By
lala, at 10/18/2006 2:48 AM
That article is remarkable! Of course John's always are. It helps when he has a remarkable subject to write about though.
By
molly_mormon88, at 10/19/2006 12:11 AM
Excellent article John (as usual.) =)
Happy belated birthday to Enyo & Sila!
By
_cesca_, at 10/19/2006 4:35 PM
Thanks, Michelle! ^^
Great article, John, as usual.
By
Silawen, at 10/27/2006 7:13 PM
You're welcome Sila. It's great to see you posting.
By
Michelle, at 10/27/2006 8:09 PM
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