She’s so proud: Hayley hails her boy as Kai fires
Ian Chadband |
Mum was always the word for Kai Taylor – and now Hayley Lewis, the champion swimmer in whose illustrious shadow he’s long lived, has been left joyously saluting her boy for joining the individual Commonwealth champions’ club.
Taylor, the 22-year-old who’d already enjoyed a breakthrough week in Glasgow with his spectacular relay anchor leg that sealed the 4x200m relay triumph, pulled off one of the surprise triumphs of the meet as he stole the 200m crown from the unlikely position of lane one.
In the crowd was mum Hayley, the one-time teenage swimming phenomenon who’s now just the proudest of supporters, cheering him to the most magnificent golden heist.
Actually, stealing the race from the inside lane doesn’t give the Brisbane youngster’s performance its full due, as he led from the start, was on world record schedule at halfway and was still in blistering form as he held off two British Olympic champs James Guy and Matt Richards, who shared silver, by half a second.
The triumph came 36 years since Hayley had her extraordinary breakthrough Commonwealth Games in Auckland in 1990 when she scooped five golds and a bronze at the age of just 15.
“She’s just all so happy for me,” beamed Taylor. “She sees all the sacrifices I put in, all the hard work. To see me finally achieve that exactly like her, she’s just so proud of me and couldn’t be happier.
“Growing up, I was still trying to make a name for myself, and was always super proud to be the son of Hayley Lewis – and I still am. Now I’m super stoked to be making a name for myself.
“I never felt any pressure because of the name. Mum and dad have always just said to me, just do whatever makes you happy. Never felt any pressure from them, it’s always just been full support and full love.”
Lewis, who went on to be the successful host of a reality TV show, got wildly excited in the stadium, her reaction going viral, leaving Taylor to smile: “She knows how cut-throat the sport is, and how devastating it can be.
“The highs are super high, and the lows super low. When she sees me just achieve my dreams and have a smile on my face, that just makes her extremely happy.”
Alas for the family, dad Greg wasn’t able to be at the stadium as he had injured his knee.
“I’m pretty devastated, to be honest. It’s a little bit upsetting. I know he was supporting from back home at the hotel watching me, with the biggest smile on his face,” said Taylor.
What Greg will have seen was Taylor enjoying the race of his life from the most unpromising situation.
“If you’ve got a lane, you’ve got a chance,” he smiled. “I think I crept under the radar. It’s extremely hard for people to see you out there, and that was obviously the tactic going into it.
“That’s just what you’ve got to do when you’re in those outside lanes – just go for it. In all honesty, I backed myself. You’ve got to go into every race believing that you can win it.”
AAP