Former Australian Olympic swimmer Hayley Lewis’ incredible sporting legacy is being continued on by her son.
Her youngest child, 22-year-old Kai Taylor, is gearing up to make his Commonwealth Games debut in Glasgow, having already earned himself an Olympic silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Following in her footsteps
Hayley Lewis, 52, first shot to swimming stardom in 1990, when she won five gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, aged 15.
Hayley went on to compete at three Olympic Games over the course of her swimming career, and she won a silver medal at the 1992 event.
It seems as though the former The Biggest Loser host’s legacy doesn’t end with her, as her youngest son Kai continues to climb the ranks in the swimming world.
Kai made his Olympic debut in 2024 in Paris, helping the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team to silver and the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team to bronze.
He backed that up in 2025, winning gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay and bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay at the World Championships in Singapore.
Now, the 22-year-old is set to add another milestone to his growing résumé – his first Commonwealth Games – following in the footsteps of a mum who won seven Commonwealth gold medals of her own.
A protective mum
As a huge advocate for mental health, Hayley Lewis has spoken about her desire to protect her son from the more challenging aspects of the sport.
“We always said to our kids the main thing we would do is support them. We love them and want them to be happy,” she told The Sydney Morning Herald ahead of the 2023 World Championships.
“For both my boys, I’ve always made sure they are fully supported. I’m very wary of Kai and the pressure of being an athlete. Fortunately, for him being a swimmer in 2023, it’s a lot different to me in 1993.”
The three-time-Olympian added, “In my era it was all about [being told] to toughen up. I didn’t have the opportunity to have a good cry after one of my swims, otherwise I’d be told I was weak and I needed to stop swimming. At 19, I was ready to quit and work as a barista in a coffee shop.
“I just can’t tell you how important it is for a mum that if Kai is feeling stressed or pressured, he has support around him.”
Kai has expressed his gratitude for having his mum backing him no matter what he does, saying: “Even though she’s a legend of the sport she just wants me to be happy.”
After his monumental win from lane eight at the 2023 World Trials, he added, “She told me to do my thing, be calm, but she did however mention that great things happen from lane eight.”
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