Who is Kayla Han? 14-year-old US swimmer makes waves
The 14-year-old US Swimmer Kayla Han is often dubbed a potential female swim star. A few of her recent performances have garnered heaps of praise.
The prodigy from California first gained attention in 2021 when, at the age of 12, she was selected for the USA Swimming Olympic Trials.
It is being speculated that Kayla Han, who would turn 16 next year by the time the Paris Olympics nears, will have amazing potential to watch out for.
In competing for her country at such a young age, Han would continue the long legacy of the US producing world-beating female teenage swimmers.
Han has been following her favorite Katie Ledecky's early training regimen, i.e., to practice alongside guys who are three to four years older than she was. It would not be far before Han turns out to be on board with Ledecky at the upcoming Paris Games.
Who is Kayla Han?
A freestyle and individual medley specialist, Kayla Han was born on May 31, 2008, in Brea, California. She competes with the La Mirada Armada Swim Club at the local level.
She started her professional career in 2018. As soon as she got on the stage, she broke six US National records for girls under the age of 10. Although she did not break any records in 2020, she gathered a lot of attention for her consistent performances.
She was also the youngest swimmer in the 2020 US Olympics trials for the Tokyo Olympics.
Later on, in 2021, Kayla Han competed in the California Speed Grand Challenge in Irvine. She managed to get her hands on three 11-12 age group records in just one week.
Han signed up to compete in six individual events at the 2021 US Open Championships in the preliminary round before the tournament began. Hana Shimizu-Bowers decided not to compete in her final of the Championships.
So, Han was moved up to the b-final in the 200-meter butterfly. There, she finished fifth with a personal best time of 2:16.80, less than seven seconds slower than the time of 2:10.58 swum by gold medalist Regan Smith.
Han achieved personal best times at the Road to 2022 Senior Invitational in La Mirada in January 2022. It was a competition held in advance of several World Championships in 2022, such as the 2022 World Junior Championships, which will take place in 2023 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Han's times included 8:43.88 in the 800-meter freestyle, 16:37.59 in the 1500-meter freestyle, 2:16.68 in the 200-meter butterfly, and 2:17.98.
Based on her results in the 2022 US International Team Trials, she was named to the United States team for the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. The categories she would participate in are the 1500-meter freestyle and 400-meter individual medley. She won a silver in the 400-meter individual medley.
With a personal best of 4:06.95 at the 2022 Kevin B. Perry Senior Meet, Han smashed Katie Hoff's record for girls in the 13–14 age group in the 400-yard individual medley. She bettered the record by 1.49 seconds.