Hayden made his Paralympic debut at the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games in Para swimming. He made his second Paralympic appearance in Sydney 2000. His impressive performance in the heats lead him to two finals in Men’s 100m Butterfly S10 and the Men’s 200m Medley SM10. Hayden was the first recipient of the Parafed Canterbury Gallagher Brothers Junior Sportsperson of the Year award. He won it for three consecutive years.
