It was at a swim meet when he was about 11 years old that Brendan Hansen
met former Olympic gold medalist Nelson Diebel, who won the 100-meter
breaststroke in 1992.
Hansen asked Diebel if he could try on his medal. Gold hanging from his
neck, Hansen turned to his father and said, "Dad, I want one of
these."Buzz Hansen relates this tale to explain why nothing his son does
stuns him anymore.
"He's just that committed," the elder Hansen said.
Now Brendan, the former University of Texas star who turns 23 today when
he will compete in the 100-meter breaststroke final, is a favorite to
win multiple golds in Athens. The same swimmer who attracted few
reporters before the Olympic Trials became one of the meet's biggest
stories, breaking world records in both breaststroke events.
That Hansen could be destined for Olympic glory did not always appear
obvious. His mother, Miriam, reflects on his introduction to swimming as
a 5-year-old with amusement – and relief.
Prodigy kicker
Young Brendan had a tough time getting his arms and legs to do the right
things at the same time. She figured that was the end of that. But the
instructor encouraged her to keep Brendan in swimming, saying he had a
good kick.
By the time he graduated from high school outside Philadelphia in 2000,
Brendan had become one of the country's best breaststrokers. But the
thing he was most known for before this summer stemmed from being the
guy with the biggest broken heart at the last Olympic Trials.
He did not come in as a favorite in either breaststroke event, but that
did little to ease the sting of two close, close calls.
The top two finishers in each race make the Olympic team. In the 100,
Hansen finished third, .65 seconds out of a trip to Sydney. Then, in the
200, he took third again, just .15 seconds back.
Even before Hansen replaced heartache with triumph at this summer's
trials, he acknowledged that, "It was a good time to have something like
that happen." Would he have become the dominant swimmer he is today
without those disappointments? He's not sure.
"I used that as motivation the last four years," Hansen said. "Every
time I was working out and wanted to stop, I would think about being
third and watching those guys leave for Sydney."
He showed up in Austin smoldering with determination.
"I don't think Brendan knew he was that good when he got there," Texas
and Olympic swim coach Eddie Reese said.
Hard work pays off
Reese says Hansen's greatest talent is to be a hard worker. He embraced
the sacrifices an elite athlete must make.
If Hansen wants to leave early one morning to hunt or fish, Reese said,
he'll make sure to go to bed extra early the night before.
Miriam saw how her son missed gatherings of their large, close-knit
family – she is one of 10 children, and Brendan has 26 cousins. It was
tough for him to hear about his father and brother going hunting without
him.
"As an athlete, you know what your potential is," Brendan said. "The
decisions you make in life determine how much potential you actually
use."
He captured NCAA titles in both breaststroke events all four years at
Texas and won gold in the 200 at the 2001 World Championships.
But he still had to make the Olympic team. Miriam couldn't conceive what
she would tell her son if he fell short again. Train harder? Get a
better coach? None of those words would ring true.
She never had to search for those sentiments. Not even close.
Breakthrough in 100
His parents were relieved at first when he won the 100 breaststroke.
Then they realized the time.
Buzz couldn't see the scoreboard well and initially thought it said
59.80, which would have been "bittersweet" – two one-hundredths of a
second off the world record. Then he grabbed the binoculars and made out
59.30, and "it's like somebody takes the bones from under your legs."
Then Brendan did it again in the 200.
Miriam is honest about her response to Brendan's childhood declarations
of future Olympic glory: "OK. Go clean your room."
"Every mother hears the same thing," she said with a laugh.
But not every kid is like Brendan Hansen.
E-mail
rcohen@dallasnews.com
Born: Aug. 15, 1981
Hometown: Havertown, Pa.
College: Texas
Olympic events: 100 and 200 breaststroke
World records: 100 breaststroke (59.30 seconds); 200 breaststroke
(2:09.04); 4x100 medley relay.
Notable: One of three swimming children. Older brother Sean, who
turns 26 on Monday, swam for Lafayette (Pa.) College. Younger sister
Megan, 18, will swim for Southern Connecticut. ... Known by his UT
teammates for his motivational speeches. ... One of three men's swimmers
who enter Olympics as a multiple individual world-record holder (along
with Australia's Ian Thorpe and U.S. teammate Michael Phelps).
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