Canadian swimmer Brent Hayden announced his retirement on Sunday, four days after winning the first Olympic medal of his lengthy career.

Hayden, 28, finished third in Wednesday's 100-metre freestyle final. At the 2009 World Championships he won gold, and he followed up with silver at Worlds in 2011.

"It's been a long road. Third Olympics," Hayden said at a press conference. "Coming around the last four years were all about perseverance and never taking my mind off the goal, surrounding myself with amazing people."

Hayden was a podium favourite at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, but a poor semi-final showing saw him miss the final altogether. He finished 14th overall.

Looking back, he says he entered Beijing with too much confidence and vowed not to make the same mistake for his final Olympic Games. His medal performance in London marked Canada's first in the event.

Set to begin the next phase of his life when he gets married on August 19, the Mission, B.C. swimmer said he will put his Olympic bronze medal next to his very first swimming award.

"To kind of bookend the start of my career and the end of my career," he said. "It's been a wonderful ride."