Brendan Hansen To Make Waves At Third Olympics

Swimmer Brendan Hansen was born in Havertown, Pennsylvania, and currently resides in Austin, Texas. Starting off just as any true Olympian would, Hansen began swimming at the age of five and continued to work hard during his childhood in preparation for his first success: winning the State Championship as a high school freshman. Hansen won many more State Championships throughout his high school career and also won the National Championship in 1999 for the 200-meter breaststroke.

After high school, Hansen attended the University of Texas, where he won numerous titles, including 13 total NCAA titles, the Big 12 Conference Swimmer of the Year and the Big 12 Conference Newcomer of the Year, according to his

During his two-and-a-half-year break, Hansen wed girlfriend Martha and began training again in January 2011 in preparation for this year's Olympics. He realized he was ready to get back into swimming after watching the Men's NCAAs in March. “I just knew I wasn't comfortable watching swimming yet and knew that I still wanted to swim … That's why I'm here," he said at the time.

Although Hansen holds two Olympic gold medals, he has yet to win gold in any individual events. This may be his chance at not only making a comeback but to also finally win the gold that he so deserves. Hansen is going into this year's Olympics with a fresh outlook on the competition. He feels more comfortable at this year's events because he's not out to prove anything but simply looking at everything “as a bonus.”

—LESLIE CHEN