Picture Perfect

Eric Rosales, CTVOlympics.ca staff

Brent Hayden knows photography almost as well as he knows his way around the pool.

So if he were the subject of a portrait at the upcoming London 2012 Olympic Games, he's got his personal preferences.

"I would say the camera should shoot from chest level, so you're not looking up my nose, but also, not having to look up and making me look short. If you shoot it at chest level, it kind of makes the person less intimidating. You just kind of look normal," said Hayden, breaking off talk about the pool to indulge in his other love. "I like pictures that get a little bit more creative with composition. So I would say put me to one side or the other and shoot a horizontal format. That's how I would like to shoot."

In the water, the picture is quite clear for Hayden and some of Canada's other swimming medal hopefuls.

Hayden is hoping to qualify to compete in his third (and possibly last) Olympic Games, however you'll notice that the one omission from his otherwise stellar resume is an Olympic medal.

For teammate Ryan Cochrane, who put himself on the map in Beijing 2008 by claiming Canada's first medal in the pool since 2000, the expectations are enormous the second time around. These expectations are coming not just from the general public, but from Cochrane himself.

On the other end of the spectrum is Martha McCabe, who is still looking to book her space for London 2012 and is hoping to build on her breakthrough performance at the FINA World Championships in Shanghai earlier this year.

It doesn't particularly matter where exactly they are in their careers.

By the time they get to London, they'll all have something to prove when they line up in the starter's blocks.

"It's something I've dreamed about since I was a little girl," said McCabe, who will attempt to earn her Olympic spot at the Canadian Olympic trials in Montreal beginning March 27. "I don't know what the Olympics are going to be like.

"I've got an idea going to the World Championships a few times, but I think that having it as a bit of a surprise is part of the excitement."

A bronze medalist in the 200 metre breaststroke at the 2011 Worlds, McCabe said she would like to maintain or better that position at the Olympics.

If she did, it would mark the first time a Canadian woman has won a swimming medal since 1996, when Marianne Limpert took silver in the 200m individual medley in Atlanta.

While it was a pleasant surprise to see Cochrane claim the bronze medal in the 1500m freestyle at Beijing 2008, he is now considered a strong contender to reach the podium again at London 2012. In FINA's most recent world rankings (Nov. 2010), he is listed as the top-ranked swimmer in the 1500m freestyle.

The Victoria, B.C., native has his sights set on the highest step - something that's been brewing over the past four years.

"Going to Beijing, me and my coach had the expectation of being on the podium," he said. "Once I got on the podium, I was pissed, because I wanted to be on the top of the podium. I'm standing there getting my Olympic medal, which should be, you know, the happiest moment of my sporting career, and I was just annoyed with myself.

"So, carrying that feeling the last four years, knowing that I don't want to feel that way after London I want no regrets in the pool, and I want a race that I can really be proud of."

Hayden's previous two trips to the Olympics have been marred by both violence and unmet expectations.

At the tail end of Athens 2004, Hayden (then 19) and some of his teammates were mistakenly assaulted by police when they accidentally got caught in the middle of a protest. That jarring experience was followed by his experience at Beijing 2008. Expectations of bringing home a medal were high for Hayden, who entered the competition as the co-world champion title-holder in the 100m freestyle; however he struggled badly, placing no better than fifth in his five races. He also failed to qualify for the 100m freestyle final, finishing a distant 14th.

"I think the first Olympics I was really overwhelmed by the Olympic aura. I kind of got sucked into it and got kind of lost," said Hayden, who was a double gold medallist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the 50m and 100m freestyle.

"In Beijing, being the co-world champion, I went in there with a lot of confidence, and I think I was too confident. I had a really good heat swim. I think that kind of just fed that ego. That semifinal, I went in thinking it would be a walk in the park, I'll just swim this and get into the final. Well, a lot of people swam faster - they were willing to work a little bit harder than I was in that moment.

"These Olympics now, I'm not going to let that happen again. That's basically it."

Cochrane can also now draw on that previous Olympic experience, which he believes will prove invaluable when he gets to London.

"It's going to exponentially help, I think. Going into Beijing, I had no idea what to expect," he said. "I know into London, it's really not about getting excited too early. It's about really focusing until that one day when I race and represent our country."

That determination and preparation is not lost on their younger teammate.

"I know that they're just regular guys. And I know they're getting to where they are - which is a successful point - by training very hard and taking care of every little aspect of their life," McCabe said. "During an Olympic year, all of that is magnified. Every single little thing counts, even more this year. I see it and I realize what it takes.

"I'm eager, but I know at the same time that I have a lot of training that I still have to do."

It's the type of effort that could potentially land all three in the winner's circle. If so, that is music to the ears of Swim Canada who have targeted a minimum of three medal performances in the pool at London 2012.

Hayden sees no better goodbye to the sport he loves.

"I think being able to cap everything off with a medal is the best way I can imagine going out," Hayden said. "People always say go out with a bang. As cliché as that sounds, everybody wants to go out that way."

That would make quite the photo op - especially if shot at chest level.