關鵬

English

Hayden Kwan is a Hong Kong male swimmer who specialises in backstroke. He grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, majored in computer science at Stanford University and competed for the Stanford men's swimming and diving team. In May 2023 he met the qualifying standard for the United States Olympic trials; that same year he returned to Hong Kong from the United States and switched to representing Hong Kong in local and international competition. Shortly after his return, at a long-course time trial held behind closed doors, Kwan swam 56.47 seconds in the men's 100m backstroke and 2:00.77 in the 200m backstroke, both faster than the Hong Kong records at the time, underlining his competitive level. He went on to become the Hong Kong record holder in both the men's 100m and 200m backstroke and was selected for the Hong Kong, China delegation at the swimming events of the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, which were postponed to September 2023. At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Kwan was a standout in the men's 100m backstroke: he first broke his own Hong Kong record with 55.46 seconds in the heats to advance ninth overall, and then lowered the national record again with 55.11 seconds in the final to finish seventh. Improving the same national record in consecutive rounds at a single Games reflected both his form and his ability to adapt under the pressure of competition. Backstroke requires a swimmer to maintain a streamlined body line and efficient stroke while on their back, and it places high technical demands on the start, the turn and the underwater phase; racing both the 100m and 200m versions of the event also tests the balance between speed and endurance. With a background in American collegiate swimming and experience on the Hong Kong representative team, Kwan has become one of the leading figures in Hong Kong men's backstroke in recent years.