‘Like a dead fish’: Hayon fights through illness at NCAAs

By Cadan Hanson     3/21/23 10:06pm

For the second year in a row, Arielle Hayon competed at the NCAA Swimming Championship Meet, this time placing No. 39 in the 100 yard butterfly and No. 50 in the 200. But unlike last year, the sophomore from Agoura Hills, California competed in both races battling a sinus infection.

“Sinus infections and swimming, they’re not a good combo,” Hayon said. “Every single time you go under water your head feels like it’s gonna explode because of the pressure.” 

On Wednesday, even before boarding the plane, Hayon started to feel under the weather and as the weekend progressed, her symptoms got worse. Despite the obstacles, Hayon tried to stay focused on the competition.

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“The day that I left for NC[AA]s, I woke up with the worst sinus pressure and headache,” Hayon said. “The plane made it worse … I was so exhausted and feverish and my head just hurt so bad but I was really trying to mentally collect myself.”

Hayon’s first race was the 100 fly prelims on Friday. Going into the weekend, she was seeded No. 30 with a 52.01 seed time. In the prelims, she placed No. 39 with a time of 52.57, falling short of her 36th-place performance from last year. Despite swimming with a 100-plus fever and not placing where she wanted, Hayon saw positives in the performance.

“Technically, I executed a really great race,” Hayon said. “But I didn’t have the power in me to  really sprint and get up and race and be competitive.  My mind couldn’t help but think, if I can go 52.5 with a fever, who knows what I would have got if I felt good.”

After the race on Friday, Hayon’s symptoms worsened and she took a trip to the urgent care. Despite the diagnosis, Hayon was still determined to get back in the pool on Saturday.

“They ran a couple tests and said, ‘you have a sinus infection,’” Hayon said. “But basically, they stuck a steroid shot in my ass and gave me some antibiotics. And [Coach and I] were like, ‘let’s try again tomorrow.’”

On Saturday, Hayon dove back in the water for the 200 fly and swam a 1:59.38, en route to a 50th-place finish. Despite starting out strong, Hayon said that as the race went on, the fatigue from fighting the infection set in.

“I tried to get it together and fake it in the morning before the 200 fly, but I honestly just felt like a dead fish,” Hayon said. “I went out the way I usually kind of go out in [the first half] of a turn fly, but that last 50, the sinus infection hit me like a bus. Then I got out of the water and threw up in three different trash cans. It was not a good time.”

Despite not performing to her expectations, Hayon said looking back on the meet, there were still positives to take from the weekend and offered a new perspective on competition and fighting through obstacles and setbacks.

“I definitely feel like I learned a lot [this weekend],” Hayon said. “I wanted to give up after the 100 fly and scratch out of the 200 but I’m glad I didn’t let myself give up because that, I think, would have been letting people down. I didn’t meet all my goals, but I definitely learned a lot and I gained more experience. Also, it definitely made me cherish the opportunity that I have because nothing is ever guaranteed.”

The NCAA championships capped off a successful sophomore tour for Hayon, who added two  more conference individual titles to her resume. Additionally, Hayon said she is set to compete this summer at the Israeli nationals for a chance to make the Israeli national team and compete at the World Championships. 

“As much as [NCAA’s] and my college season didn’t end the way that I wanted it to, it kind of just makes me that much hungrier and that much more excited for the summer,” Hayon said.

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