Hadley King breaking the 100 fly record, by International School of Bangkok, Feb 2023
ISB has its fair share of new students entering and seasoned students transitioning into their next adventure. Junior, Hadley King, is a new student that has quickly established herself as a force to be reckoned with on the women's varsity swim team. Her athletic accomplishments are only part of the story of this exceptional person.
It is possible some members of the ISB community don’t even know Hadley King. She only arrived in October, and she’s spent a lot of that time in the pool. Yet her story teaches us a lot. She is originally from El Salvador but was living in Oklahoma before moving to Thailand due to her father's job. She has a younger sister named Neily, as well as her mother Kristin, and her father David.
King has broken many ISB swim records that include the 200-meter individual medley, the 400-meter freestyle, and the 200-meter butterfly. All are in the most competitive age group of 15 years and older. Her personal goal is to break the 100-meter butterfly and the 200-meter freestyle records at IASAS in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. King stated, “I am a couple of tenths (of a second) off of both of them and can’t wait to see what the future holds.” (Authors note: King recently accomplished breaking three IASAS records on February 2-4, 2023. She broke the 50 fly, 200 free, and 100 fly.) She has made tremendous progress from only being here for four months. To go along with all of this King is officially ranked as the 8th overall best swimmer in Thailand.
King’s swim career has not always been the easiest and she has endured many challenges along the way. King stated, “One of the hardest challenges I’ve had to overcome was coming out of a months-long swim slump in 2020. Gaining my love back for the sport took a lot of time and effort. Gaining it back helped me in many different aspects of the sport and my life in general.” It took many coaches, her parents, as well as her teammates to help her realize the feelings she has for swimming. She acknowledges that her father is one of her greatest motivations and the person she believes cares most about her accomplishment. “He has accomplished so many incredible things in his life,” King says, that it's impossible not to admire him or his accomplishments. He always supports me and encourages me to perform at my highest level. Encouraging me to reach my sporting potential. King expanded, “I would never want to let him down because he has invested so much time and money in me and the sport that I love”.
The story doesn’t end there, however, as Hadley has already - as an 11th grader - made a college commitment that requires both her athletic and academic success to continue through graduation. One of her biggest accomplishments, thus far, is that she committed to swim for the United States Military Academy, which is one of the most prestigious and challenging schools in America with only a 9% acceptance rate. She is now working with the athletic department to ensure her acceptance following her high school graduation in 2024. To get accepted to the United States Military Academy, King needs to receive endorsements from United States legislators and obtain exceptional scores on standardized tests (SAT/ACT). Her athletic accomplishments and the enormous number of medals she receives when performing at her best make her stand out in a field of highly competitive applicants. Thousands of high school graduates each year choose to attend a military academy rather than a more traditional four-year college. This option not only allows students to receive an outstanding education but also to train and be commissioned as an Officer in the United States Army.
King, is only an 11th-grade student and has accomplished so much in a short period. She has been a great addition to the ISB community. Getting accepted and committed to a highly selective college during her junior year is a significant accomplishment. The swim records she now owns will likely fall several more times as she will continue to set the standard of ISB swimming excellence. Being a student-athlete requires a great deal of dedication, and being able to accomplish so much is both impressive and an inspiration for others. Alyson Scott, her best friend, describes her as loyal, powerful, and witty. Scott stated that “being a person inside and outside of swim takes so much, especially when she is training so hard and is still described as a phenomenal person, I can’t wait to see what she does in the future!”