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By John Lohn
March 1. A firm bite on his bottom lip, his eyes begging to let loose, he searched for an answer. He cocked his head to the right, as he took time devising what was — in his mind — the correct response. No athlete that week had come so close, yet missed.
He was denied his athletic dream by hundredths of seconds, the cruelty of the clock. The Olympic Games had passed him by. For that reason, Brendan Hansen was given a freebie. The right to cry. The right to sulk. The right to ask, “Why?”
Finally, he figured out what he wanted to say. Really, it was nothing special. In many ways, it was a stock reply, exactly what is expected of an Olympic-caliber swimmer. Except, in this instance, the statement was anything but typical. The expression on his face said so. His furrowed brow. The focus in his eyes. The intensity that would not allow a single tear.
The hell with disappointment. What could have been an emotionally damaging result had suddenly morphed into a motivational payoff.
“I’m only going to keep working harder and get better,” Hansen said that night in Indianapolis, his 2000 Olympic Trials experience having concluded just 10 minutes earlier. “My best days are ahead of me. In 2004, I’ll be swimming with a vengeance. I’m going to get rid of these demons.”
Cast against the backdrop of the Acropolis, the Olympic Games will return to their birthplace this summer, more than 2,700 years after a 200-meter foot race signaled the start of an athletic phenomenon. Athletes from 200 nations will descend on Athens from August 13-29, chasing renown attainable only on a quadrennial basis.
There’s no script that guarantees an invitation to the greatest five-ring spectacle in the world. History is filled with tales of heartache, athletes who followed the perfect blueprint, but came up short in the chase for Olympic glory. Some have rebounded, achieving their goal later in life. Some have drifted into the past, almost forgotten.
Brendan Hansen knows all about Olympic heartache, the events of Indianapolis a constant reminder of what could have been. Fresh out of Haverford High School, Hansen traveled to the Midwest in 2000 as a contender to land an Olympic bid in the 100- and 200-meter breaststrokes. When his four days of competition had concluded, his ticket to Sydney sat eight-tenths of a second away.
As an 18-year-old, he packaged the meet of his life. He set a handful of national age-group records. He swam some of the fastest times in American history. But Hansen finished in the worst possible position at an Olympic Trials. He was third — twice — one spot out of the money. His effort of 1:01.74 in the 100 breast missed by 65 hundredths. His performance in the 200 breast was 15 hundredths too slow.
Hansen closed faster than any other competitor in that 200 final. He shot off the final wall in fourth place, more than a second out of the lead. Meter by meter, his deficit narrowed. With every stroke, he was gaining ground, moving more water than his rivals. At the touch, he seemed to have done it. The lights on the scoreboard indicated otherwise. One more meter. That’s all he needed.
“When you know you were that close, it hurts,” Hansen said. “To watch the Games and someone else swim for your country, that was hard. I knew I was at that level and could have been there. If I was beaten by half a body-length, that would have been easier to take. I would have known I was out of my league. But a fingertip? That made it tough.”
So much has changed in the past three-plus years. Hansen is no longer the high school kid with an unprecedented upside. He’s now the college man with nearly unmatched talent. He is no longer a relatively inexperienced athlete. Rather, he’s well-versed in international circles, familiar with the rigors of major competitions in Europe and the Pacific Rim.
Nearly four years ago, Hansen was an Olympic hopeful. These days, he’s an Olympic favorite, not just to nail down an invitation to Team USA, but to stand on a podium in Athens, a medal draped around his neck.
The path to Athens goes through Long Beach, Calif., the site of this summer’s Olympic Trials, scheduled to begin July 7. Hansen’s Greek Odyssey, however, began on the final night in Indy. It has wound back through his Havertown, Pennsylvania, home and into Austin, Texas, along the way stopping in Japan and Spain. Every stop has been critical, used as a learning experience.
“The way he handled himself after (Indianapolis) meant more to me than going to the Olympics,” said Miriam Hansen, Brendan’s mother. “He showed so much maturity. He wanted it, but it wasn’t the end of the world. He got over it and didn’t let what happened sour him. He knows how to put things in perspective. When he gets out of the water or out of a building, he moves on, unless he uses what happened as a motivational tool.”
Hansen broke onto the international scene in 2001 by capping a trip to Fukuoka, Japan, with a world-championship winning effort in the 200 breast. Collecting NCAA titles and American records has become habit. He’s coming off a three-medal haul at the 2003 World Championships in Barcelona.
That venture to Spain resulted in a silver medal and American record in the 100 breast, as well as a testament to his speed. His bronze medal in the 200 breast served as further proof of his versatility. A gold medal, along with a world record in the 400 medley relay, cemented his status as one of the premier swimmers in this sport.
“I remember getting back from the (Sydney) Olympics and naming him the Man on a Mission,” said Eddie Reese, Hansen’s coach at the University of Texas. “When you watched him, he was on a mission. It was impressive, and that drive is still there. He knows where he wants to go and now is the time to get it done.
“Brendan is a hard worker, which sounds simple and old-fashioned. But the great ones have those virtues. He’s a great human being and a great team leader. He has all the attributes. Brendan isn’t fast. His gift is the ability to not slow down. Once he gets going, he doesn’t stop. He has race courage and is great under pressure, regardless of the circumstance.”
A decade ago, there were no Olympic dreams in the Hansen household. That would have been ridiculous, what with the youngster not yet in his teens and only starting to sculpt a career that — one day — would rank in American swimming lore. In a day and age where burnout is commonplace in individual sports, Hansen has maintained a love for the water.
He has been surrounded by a near-perfect support system, a network that involves his parents, siblings (Sean and Megan) and coaches. Hansen has never been pressured to achieve for others. His desire to excel is enough in itself. That inner drive has been a prominent characteristic since he was competing in the age-group ranks.
Participating in a United States Swimming competition in Princeton, N.J. as a 12-year-old, Hansen was one of many youngsters in awe that afternoon. At poolside, Nelson Diebel, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist in the 100 breaststroke, was signing autographs.
“I remember him going up to (Diebel) and asking to wear his medal,” said Buzz Hansen, Brendan’s father. “He put it around his neck, turned around and said, ‘I want one of these.’ That was his X-factor. I think a lot of parents want to relive their youth through their children. You can’t do that. You have to be a parent. You sit back, give support and go through the high times and the low times. All you want to do is make things easy on him.”
Throughout his career, Hansen’s entourage has been ever-present, not easily missed, even in crowds of thousands. In high school, the bright yellow shirts stood out. At the 2000 Trials, you couldn’t miss the tie-dyed clan. During his Texas days, the burnt-orange threads have been complemented by the standard hook-’em-horns hand signal.
On the coaching front, Hansen has been blessed by tight-knit relationships with his mentors. First learning under the tutelage of the late John McFadden at Team Foxcatcher, Hansen later trained under Charlie Kennedy at Suburban Swim Center. It was Kennedy who first steered Hansen to national prominence. Now, the coaching credit belongs to Reese, a legend in the sport and the man who will guide the United States men in Athens.
“I have a great comfort zone with my family,” Hansen said. “That’s something that not everyone in this sport has. My parents never lived through me. They’ve given me unending support, no matter what. Swimming was never the only thing in my life. It never took over. My best memories are hunting with my dad and spending time with the family.
“And my coaches have been unbelievable. (Kennedy) opened up a new relationship between coach and swimmer. We have a special friendship. (Reese) has the same mentality. He has a heart of gold. Nothing is negative. (Kennedy) knew how to mold me from an age-group swimmer into an Olympic-caliber swimmer. (Reese) and Kris Kubik (Texas assistant) have been the right fit at the next level. They’re the cream of the crop.”
During the next four weeks, Hansen will focus his attention on the NCAA Championships in Long Island at the end of this month. There, Hansen will attempt to become only the third man in college history to conclude a career with four titles in two separate events, in his case the 100 and 200 breaststrokes. Hansen will also lead Texas’ charge for a third championship in four years.
Then, Hansen will turn his concentration to Long Beach while moving into the professional stage of his career. Sponsorships will soon become available. Prize money will enter the picture. His travels will include ventures to Europe for various World Cup stops, where Hansen will enjoy enhanced competition, challenges not available on the collegiate scene.
The Olympic Trials remain five months away. Yet, their importance and impending rewards are constantly on Hansen’s mind. He does not deny thinking about Athens, and the opportunity to garner an Olympic medal. But Hansen knows for that possibility to exist, he must first negotiate the high-pressured atmosphere of another Trials.
“It’s on my mind all the time, but you can’t get overexcited,” he said. “When you talk about a downer in life, you think about what hurt you in attaining that goal. Everything from that week in Indianapolis has made me stronger. I’m more qualified and more experienced. I’ve been up and I’ve been down. I’m ready for Long Beach. Pretty soon, I’ll be able to forget about 2000.”
Although nothing is guaranteed at the Olympic Trials, the men’s breaststroke events possess a low-upset ratio, with Hansen and Ed Moses swimming at a different level than the rest of America. They share the American record in the 100 breast and rank second and third in the history of the 200 in the United States. As a result, a rivalry has brewed.
“I’ve been in this sport a long time and barring any unforeseen circumstances, I can’t imagine Brendan not being on the Olympic Team,” Kennedy said. “The Olympic Trials is a meet where people come out of the woodwork and anything can happen. But there are two guys with so much talent and experience. Brendan has a lot of things working for him.”
As far as the world is concerned, every breaststroker is chasing Japan’s Kosuke Kitajima, with Hansen considered the top contender to supplant the reigning world champ and record-holder in the 100 and 200 events.
Unable to qualify for the 2001 World Championships in the 100 breast, Hansen has improved that aspect of his repertoire in the last two years, to the point where he’s ranked second in the world. The ability to sculpt his skills and expand his range has always been a trademark, as much as his closing speed, considered the finest on the globe.
“I’m still learning something new every day,” Hansen said. “There’s no such thing as the perfect race. There’s always something to improve. I’ve been solid the last few years, but I don’t think I’ve had that one great meet yet. I’m still getting better. It can all come together during that one given race.
“How are the Olympics any different than Worlds, except for the coverage? They’re not. The same people are there. If I can medal at World Championships, there’s no reason to not believe in myself and feel it can’t be done in the Olympics.”
The Brendan Hansen story, in many ways, is the antithesis of a Greek epic. His tale is a journey marked by growth, a climb from disappointment to vast success.
As a teenager four years ago, Hansen did not succumb to a blow that has floored others in his sport. Instead, he stood firm, turning his pain into motivation. Now, Hansen is on the cusp of achieving one of the greatest accomplishments in the sports world —qualifying for an Olympic Games.
Soon, Hansen hopes, Indianapolis will be a memory, a chapter in a book with a fairytale ending. The Olympic Games in Athens beckon. For his ticket, Hansen must go through Long Beach. He knows the path by heart.
“I don’t think about Athens as much as I do about Long Beach,” he said. “You have to keep your emotions in check. You know it’s there, but you have to let things happen. I’ve studied the past and have looked at people who have gone through the same thing I have. What happened in Indianapolis won’t happen again.”
It’s that type of attitude that has set Brendan Hansen apart, and within one step of fulfilling his Olympic Odyssey.