Only 13, Kayla Han makes a splash at US Olympic Trials

**Kayla Han, 13, practices with the La Mirada Armada swim team at Splash! in La Mirada on Monday. Han competed in the 400M IM in the Olympic Trials in June. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)**

LA MIRADA – With the current USA Olympic swimmers in the midst of the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo, Japan, many young, future athletes are working and waiting in the wings.

One of those athletes is 13-year-old swimmer Kayla Han, who competes for the La Mirada Armada out of the Splash Aquatics Center.

“It’s definitely a step closer to my dream of getting an Olympic gold medal,” Han said. “It’s a really good experience for the next Olympics and I’m still training hard for the Olympics in three years.”

Han, who celebrated her 13th birthday on May 31, actually made noise on the national stage as the youngest swimmer to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials this year, making the cut at 12 years old.

She did so the day before her 13th birthday at the Speedo Grand Challenge in Irvine at the Woollett Aquatic Center.

The event in which she qualified for the Olympic Trials was the 400-meter individual medley. The qualifying standard was 4:51.79 and Han was just under it with a 4:50.70 that qualified her for the Wave I portion of the Olympic Trials.

“Going into the meet that I got the trials cut, I definitely wanted to get it,” said Han, who started swimming competitively at the age of five. “I knew I would have to work really hard to get it.

“I really just wanted to break the NAG (National Age Group) record, but when I touched the wall and saw that I got the trials cut it was really shocking. I didn’t expect it at all.”

Kayla Han’s mother, Kim, and father, Daniel, have been at her side since the beginning of her competitive career. They were both amazed when they realized she was headed to Omaha for Olympic Team Trials.

“I’m still in shock,” Kim Han said. “We are so excited for everything for her. But then, we don’t want to get too excited because she is still young. She’s having a good time and as long as she’s happy that’s good.”

In addition to earning a trip to Omaha, Han also broke two NAG records in the process.

On the first night, she set the 11-12 record in the 400 freestyle (4:17.65) and her 400 IM time for 11-12 year olds was just over five seconds better than three-time Olympian and Olympic silver medalist Elizabeth Beisel. Beisel set the record 16 years ago in 2005.

Ironically, Han got the chance to meet her idol at the trials.

“I look up to her a lot and I broke her NAG record and it was a cool coincidence that I met her at trials after I broke her NAG record,” Han said.

Getting to the Olympic Trials was one thing but the biggest splash Han made was an unbelievable comeback and win in her 400 IM race.

Han, who was the youngest swimmer of the 1,400 qualifiers at the trials, gained a lot of attention with the way she finished the race.

First, flash back to her very first competitive race at the age of five. The youngster, who was swimming the100 IM, trailed in the third leg (breaststroke). By the time she hit the wall for her final turn home in the freestyle, Han was ahead and easily won the race.

Not quite the same finish at the trials in the B Final, but 5 ft. 5 in. Han trailed the leader by more than three lengths heading into the final 100 (freestyle). She still trailed the top three swimmers at the final turn, but the final 50 meters was a different story.

Han, whose favorite stroke is the freestyle, came all the way back and out-touched her opponents and the video of the race became a sensation all over the swimming world. She finished with a time of 4:51.08.

“I was definitely a little bit nervous, but mostly happy about being the youngest,” said Han, who is nicknamed by her team as Baby Beast. “I just tried to enjoy it as much as I could.”

Kayla Han, 13, swims the breast stroke as she practices with the La Mirada Armada swim team at Splash! in La Mirada on Monday. Han competed in the 400M IM in the Olympic Trials in June. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)

Han received help at the trials from her former age group coach, Kathy Hall, and her current coach Rick Shipherd.

“Coach Rick is a really good coach because he not only pushes me real hard, but understands my feelings a lot,” Han said. “He does everything he can for the team.”

Shipherd, who is the head coach for the Armada, says of Kayla, “She’s probably ahead of the game. We’ve had forty kids in the trials, but Kayla is pretty far ahead.

“She has a good support team with her friends and her family and her coaches. She has an outstanding work ethic, it’s incredible. It’s as good as anyone I’ve ever coached. Her engine is her biggest talent and she recovers really well. We’ll see how that develops as she gets older.”

Shipherd also sees her getting stronger of course.

“She will have no problem with her growth staying in sync with her power,” Shipherd added. “And, when you pair that with her great engine and strong work ethic, you will see steady progress.”

Shipherd has been active as a leader in USA Swimming and Southern California Swimming for over 30 years.

Patty Caretto-Brown, an Olympic swimmer at the 1968 games in Mexico City, saw the video and commented, “that was amazing.”

Caretto-Brown, who finished fifth in the 800 in the Mexico Games, was also a 13-year-old, but had already set multiple world records, especially in the long distance events.

Daniel and Kim Han, watch their daughter, Kayla, 13, as she practices with the La Mirada Armada swim team at Splash! in La Mirada on Monday. Han competed in the 400M IM in the Olympic Trials in June. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)

“She definitely has a very, very promising career ahead of her,” Caretto-Brown said. “As long as she keeps doing what she is doing, she will be the one to watch.

“She is definitely an Olympic hopeful for 2024 in Paris. It’s got to be so unbelievable for her.”

Caretto-Brown and Han had similar beginnings. Caretto-Brown was swimming at a young age. “When I was 10, I was in age groups and that’s when my coach said, ‘I want to train her.’”

Kayla, however, saw her first competitive race at five and at seven was coached by Hall until she was eight. La Mirada Armada’s Don Garman, who is in his 53rd year of coaching, coached her up until nine years old.

“She (Hall) actually was the one that helped me fix my freestyle stroke,” Kayla Han said. “She taught me a lot about technique and she did a lot for me now (at the trials).”

Kayla’s dad, Daniel, remembers Garman commenting on her talent -

“I remember Don saying, ‘I haven’t seen a talent like that in years.’”

Garman is in charge of the 12U age group.

Daniel Han noticed that Kayla seemed to have talent at an early age.

“We used to just play around in the backyard pool,” Daniel said. “I noticed that she would pick things up quickly and thought that maybe she could be a decent swimmer.

“I put her on the club team and the rest is history.

Kayla Han, 13, left, listens to coach Rick Shepherd as she practices with the La Mirada Armada swim team at Splash! in La Mirada on Monday. Han competed in the 400M IM in the Olympic Trials in June. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)

“It’s still early and she still has quite a ways to go. So far, all of the goals that she has set for herself, she has been able to meet and exceed. The main thing is that she is having fun.”

As for her energy, Daniel just says, “.Kayla was born with that motor. And Rick will develop it.”

As for family activities, they all pretty much revolve around Kayla’s schedule. It is all worth it as Daniel Han was totally elated on her qualifying for the trials.

“It was crazy,” he said. “We didn’t expect it at all. To get it at that age and the event, it was quite shocking.”

The final event of the season will take place Aug. 3. Kayla will be competing in four events at the US Open (18U) in Irvine. It’s a big season-ending national event.

Kayla has done a lot in her short 13 years, but perhaps the most important thing about her is her quiet personality out of the water and her fellow teammates and friends.

“I like the sport of swimming mostly because of my friends and seeing friends do good when they touch the wall,” Kayla concluded.

Armada and the City of La Mirada

The Armada has partnered with the City of La Mirada and the Splash Aquatics Center for the past 12 years.

During that time the Armada has established itself as one of the top teams in Southern California and the nation.

Recently, (2019-’20) the Armada finished third in the nation in the USA Swimming’s ranking of over 2,000 clubs for age-group teams.

“Much of our success is due to the facilities made available by the City of La Mirada,” Shipherd said.