Dan Hayden (born 1965) is a retired American gymnast…who was a member of the 1985 and 1987 World Championships teams….and was a US national champion…that competed for Arizona State University….where he was a collegiate national champion. In 1988, he was second at Olympic Trials during the first day of competition….but fell to eighth the second day when he twice missed a Kovacs release on the high bar. He missed selection to the team and was named an alternate.
Hayden’s twin brother, Dennis, was also an elite gymnast. The two own a gymnastics facility in Augusta, Georgia…..as both brothers were star junior athletes and moved away from home to train. Hayden has a skill named after him on high bar….which is a double layout with a full twist over the bar. He was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2004.
