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.
OTHER SWIMMING ATHLETES
SWIMMING NEWS
Performance Round Up July 2026
Athletics LONDON DIAMOND LEAGUE Mark English delivered one of the finest performances of his career as he smashed his 800m personal best to finish second at the London Diamond League on Saturday. The Donegal athlete clocked a stunning 1:42.97, dipping below the 1:43 mark for the first time and becoming just the latest Irish athlete [...]
EVENTS COMING UP IN AUGUST
Athletics World U20 Championships, Eugene, Oregon: 5-9 August European Athletics Championships, Birmingham: 10-16 August Lausanne Diamond League: 20-21 August Silesia Diamond League: 23 August Zurich Diamond League: 27 August Boxing European U19 Championships, Loznica, Serbia: 11-22 August Boxing Ireland U23 Championships, 7-22 August Cycling UEC Mountain Bike European Championships, Monteceneri, Switzerland: 30 July [...]
Irish Sailing and Rugby Sevens Shine in Action-Packed Weekend
Sailing McMahon Claims Sailing Bronze in California Eve McMahon secured a superb bronze medal at the Sailing Grand Slam event in San Pedro, California, after a composed performance in the Final Series against some of the world's best Olympic sailors. Racing took place in ideal conditions inside the bay, with 10–13 knots of breeze providing [...]
In The News – July 6th 2026
Irish athletes continued to make their mark on the international stage this week, with a junior world title in canoe sprint, a first international medal for diver Jake Passmore, and major victories in cycling and show jumping highlighting another impressive period of success across multiple sports. Sean Butterly Crowned Junior World Champion in Halifax Ireland [...]
Performance Round Up – June 2026
Athletics Mark English finished second in a high-quality men’s 800m field at the Rome Diamond League. The Donegal athlete clocked a season’s best time of 1:43.80, his second fastest ever over the distance, as he closed strongly in the final metres to challenge for victory. Sarah Healy delivered a personal best time of 14:48.88 in [...]
Events Coming Up in July
Athletics Eugene Diamond League - July 4th Cork City Sports - July 8th Morton Games - July 10th Monaco Diamond League - July 10th Hungarian Athletics Grand Prix - July 14th London Diamond League - July 18th National Senior Track and Field Championships - July 25th & 26th Badminton Japan Open World Tour 750 [...]