Brendan Hansen

Brendan Hansen

Personal information
Full name	Brendan Joseph Hansen
National team	United States
Born	(1981-08-15) August 15, 1981 (age 43) Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	189 lb (86 kg)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Breaststroke
Club	Foxcatcher Swim Club Suburban Swim Center Longhorn Aquatics
College team	University of Texas
Medal record Men's swimming Representing  United States Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 3 1 2 World Championships (LC) 6 2 1 World Championships (SC) 4 0 0 Pan Pacific Championships 5 1 0 Total 18 4 3 Olympic Games 2004 Athens 4×100 m medley 2008 Beijing 4×100 m medley 2012 London 4×100 m medley 2004 Athens 100 m breaststroke 2004 Athens 200 m breaststroke 2012 London 100 m breaststroke World Championships (LC) 2001 Fukuoka 200 m breaststroke 2003 Barcelona 4×100 m medley 2005 Montreal 100 m breaststroke 2005 Montreal 200 m breaststroke 2005 Montreal 4×100 m medley 2007 Melbourne 100 m breaststroke 2003 Barcelona 100 m breaststroke 2007 Melbourne 50 m breaststroke 2003 Barcelona 200 m breaststroke World Championships (SC) 2004 Indianapolis 50 m breaststroke 2004 Indianapolis 100 m breaststroke 2004 Indianapolis 200 m breaststroke 2004 Indianapolis 4×100 m medley Pan Pacific Championships 2002 Yokohama 200 m breaststroke 2002 Yokohama 4×100 m medley 2006 Victoria 100 m breaststroke 2006 Victoria 200 m breaststroke 2006 Victoria 4×100 m medley 2002 Yokohama 100 m breaststroke

Brendan Joseph Hansen (born August 15, 1981) is an American former competition swimmer who specialized in breaststroke events. Hansen is a six-time Olympic medalist, and is also a former world record-holder in both the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke events (long course).

He won twenty-five medals in major international competitions, eighteen gold, four silver, and three bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, and the Pan Pacific Championships. He was a member of the 2012 United States Olympic team and won the bronze medal in the 100-meter breaststroke and a gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Hansen was born and grew up in Havertown, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Haverford Senior High School. He swam for several clubs, including Karakung Swim Club and Suburban Seahawks Club. Whilst at Karakung Swin Club in Havertown, Brendan competed and learned from Christopher Lesovitz and Timothy Galvin.

While attending the University of Texas at Austin, Hansen swam for coach Eddie Reese's Texas Longhorns swimming and diving team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 2001 to 2005 and Associate Coach Kris Kubik. As a Longhorn swimmer, he never lost a breaststroke event. He was a sixteen-time All-American and won fourteen NCAA national championships. He graduated from the University of Texas with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology in 2005.

Hansen's main stroke is breaststroke. He is well known for his unique style of breaststroke, which incorporates a kick that is much narrower than most other swimmers, including the biggest rival of his early international career, Kosuke Kitajima.

At the 2001 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Hansen won the 200-meter breaststroke with a time of 2:10.69, a championship record.^[1]

At the 2003 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Spain, Hansen won gold in the 4×100-meter medley relay, silver in the 100-meter breaststroke, and bronze in the 200-meter breaststroke. In his first event, the 100-meter breaststroke, Hansen finished second to Kosuke Kitajima with a time of 1:00.21.^[2] In his second event, the 200-meter breaststroke, Hansen finished in third place with a time of 2:11.11.^[3] In the 4×100-meter medley relay, Hansen swam his leg with a time of 59.61 seconds, and the American squad finished first with a world record time of 3:31.54.^[4]

Despite setting the world record in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke^[5] at the 2004 U.S. Olympic trials, Hansen did not manage to win a gold medal in either event at the 2004 Summer Olympics, as he settled for silver in the 100,^[6] and a bronze in the 200.^[7][8] He would win a gold for his role in the world-record-setting 4 × 100 medley relay.^[9] There was controversy over Kosuke Kitajima's win in the 100-meter breaststroke. The U.S. team accused Kitajima of using an illegal dolphin kick. However, Olympic officials declined to issue any penalty.^[10][11] Grant Hackett said during London 2012 Australian television commentary that Hansen used a recording of Kitajima's roar of triumph after winning this race as his alarm clock for the next four years.^{[citation needed]}

At the 2005 World Aquatics Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Hansen won gold in the 100-meter breaststroke, 200-meter breaststroke, and 4×100-meter medley relay. In his first event, the 100-meter breaststroke, Hansen won with a time of 59.37 seconds, a championship record.^[12] In his second event, the 200-meter breaststroke, Hansen won with a time of 2:09.85.^[13] In the 4×100-meter medley relay, Hansen swam his leg with a time of 59.33, and the U.S. squad finished first with a time of 3:31.85.^[14]

At the 2006 ConocoPhillips National Championships, Hansen lowered both his world records in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke to 59.13 seconds in the 100-meter and 2:08.74 in the 200-meter.

At the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships held in Victoria, Canada, Hansen again lowered his world record time in the 200-meter breaststroke to 2:08.50. It is notable that he was a quarter of a second behind his best time at the 150-meter mark, but he came back 0.60 of a second faster with a 33.38.

At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne, Australia, Hansen won gold in the 100-meter breaststroke and silver in the 50-meter breaststroke. Hansen also was entered in the 200-meter breaststroke but did not start. In the 100-meter breaststroke, Hansen won with a time of 59.80 seconds, 0.16 faster than second-place finisher Kosuke Kitajima.^[15] This victory made him the first and so far only four-time breaststroke world champion (long course). In the 50-meter breaststroke, Hansen place second with a time of 27.69 seconds, just 0.03 slower than first-place finisher Oleh Lisohor.^[16]

Hansen swam the 100-meter breaststroke at the 2008 Summer Olympics, his only individual event, finishing in fourth place, but earned a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in the 4×100-meter medley relay.^[17] He lost the medal while on a flight home from a party in his hometown near Philadelphia to Austin; it was returned to him the following day.^[18]

Hansen prepared for a comeback at the 2012 Summer Olympics, winning the 100-meter breaststroke^[19] and 200-meter breaststroke at the U.S. Nationals with times of 1:00.08 and 2:10.59 respectively.

At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, the qualifying meet for the U.S. Olympic Team, Hansen won the 100-meter breaststroke final, qualifying him to swim in that event and the 4×100-meter medley relay at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He also competed in the 200-meter breaststroke and finished fourth. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Hansen finished third in 100-meter breaststroke for a bronze medal, and won a gold medal as a member of the winning U.S. team in the 4×100-meter medley relay. At the conclusion of the games, Hansen decided that the 2012 Olympics would be his final meet, retiring from the sport of swimming.

Hansen is a former world record holder in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke (long course), as well as the 4×100-meter medley relay (long and short course). His personal best times are:

• 50 m Breast: 27.51 (March 27, 2007)
• 100 m Breast: 59.13 (August 1, 2006)
• 200 m Breast: 2:08.50 (August 21, 2006)

• 50 m Breast: 26.86 (October 11, 2004)
• 100 m Breast: 57.47 (December 17, 2011)
• 200 m Breast: 2:03.62 (December 16, 2011)

Hansen continues to reside in Austin.

• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
• List of United States records in swimming
• List of University of Texas at Austin alumni
• List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (men)
• World record progression 100 metres breaststroke
• World record progression 200 metres breaststroke
• World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay

• Brendan Hansen at World Aquatics
• Brendan Hansen at Olympics.com
• Brendan Hansen at Olympic.org (archived)
• Brendan Hansen at Olympedia
• Brendan Hansen at USA Swimming (archived December 5, 2021)
• Brendan Hansen at Team USA (archive February 1, 2023)