Brendan Hyland
Swimming
BIOGRAPHY
Brendan Hyland represented Ireland in the 200 metres butterfly and the 4×200 metres freestyle relay at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
He finished 23rd in the butterfly heats with a time of 1:57.09. As a member of the relay team, he was part of Ireland’s first Olympic swimming relay in 49 years.
Hyland grew up in Knocklyon and joined Tallaght Swimming Club at a young age, where he trained throughout his career. He came from a boxing family – his father Paul boxed and his cousins Paulie, Eddie and Patrick (Pajo) Hyland all competed professionally – but his mother steered him toward the pool. Aged eight, he watched Michael Phelps win at the 2004 Athens Olympics and committed fully to the sport. He went on to hold Irish national records in the 100 metres butterfly, 200 metres butterfly and 200 metres individual medley. At the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju he set an Irish 200 metres butterfly record of 1:56.55, placing 11th overall, but missed the Olympic qualifying time by 0.07 seconds.
He qualified for Tokyo on a FINA B invitation on the basis of that time. He was a 15-time Irish champion and was named Ireland’s High Performance Swimmer of the Year in 2019. He graduated from Dublin City University with a degree in Accounting and Finance and retired from the sport in 2023.
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