Eric’s Bio

• Hedlin finished 16^th overall in the men’s 10-kilometre marathon event.
• Finished 31st in 10-kilometre open water marathon and 26^th in the 5-km at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. He was also part of the 4×1,500 mixed relay that finished 10^th, higher than Canada had ever placed before.
• At the Gwangju 2019 FINA World Championships, Hedlin captured bronze in the 5-km open water race. Hedlin was also a member of the mixed 5-km relay that finished 13^th.
• At the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships, Eric Hedlin captured silver in the 10-km open water race. He also finished eighth in the 1500-m freestyle.
• Hedlin won gold in the 10-km race at the 2018 UANA Open Water Swimming Championships in the Cayman Islands.
• Hedlin earned bronze in the 1500-m freestyle at the 2022 Bell Canadian Swimming Trials. His performance qualified him for a spot on the 2022 FINA World Championships team.
• At the 2019 Canadian Open Water Swimming Trials, Hedlin finished third in the 10-km race, qualifying him for his fourth FINA World Championships.
• In 2018, Hedlin won Swimming Canada’s Male Open Water Swimmer of the Year.
• At the 2017 FINA World Championships, Hedlin finished 14th in the 5-km open water race. He was also a member of the mixed 5-km open water relay team that finished 11th.
• At the 2017 Canadian Swimming Trials, Hedlin won the 1,500-m freestyle event under the FINA A qualifying time, but declined the spot in order to focus on open water.
• At the 2017 U Sports Swimming Championships in Sherbrooke, QC, Hedlin brought home gold medals in the 400-m and 1,500-m freestyle events, both in personal best times.
• He qualified for the 2017 worlds by finishing fourth in the 2016 FINA 10-km World Cup in Lac St-Jean
• He also was selected to represent Canada at the 2017 FISU Universiade in Taipei.
• At the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, Hedlin earned himself a ninth-place finish in the 10km open water event.
• At the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia, he finished 56^th.
• Finished 29th in the FINA World Cup race in Cozumel to qualify for the 2015 Pan Am Games and FINA World Championships. Hedlin just missed qualifying for the 1,500-m freestyle when he finished third at the World Championships Trials in Victoria, placing behind Ryan Cochrane and Will Brothers in maybe the most exciting race of the event.
• He became the third-fastest Canadian ever in the men’s 1,500-metre freestyle at the Trials, unfortunately for him his High Performance Centre – Victoria teammates Cochrane and Brothers grabbed the two available spots on the national team.
• Hedlin made an auspicious FINA World Championships debut in 2013 by winning a silver medal in the 5-km race in Barcelona.
• Hedlin says staying focused is the key to open-water swimming. He also says no amount of training in the pool can prepare someone for the battle when 30 swimmers make the turn around the buoy in an open- water event.
• Born in Calgary, and raised in San Diego, Calif., Hedlin returned to Canada after high school to further his swimming career at High Performance Centre – Victoria.
• Away from the pool Hedlin enjoys cliff jumping.

Quick Facts

• Twitter: @IAmEricHedlin
• Favourite music: Electronic
• Favourite Band: Seven Lions
• Most embarrassing music on his iPod: Star Wars movie soundtrack
• Favourite movie: Star Wars Rogue One
• Favourite Book: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
• Favourite TV Show: The Office
• Favourite Website: YouTube
• Music Behind the Blocks: Vocal Trance
• Pre-race meal: Spaghetti
• Other Sports: Baseball
• Superhero: Elon Musk