Betty Brussel took up competitive swimming at in her mid-sixties. Now 99, she’s won hundreds of medals - and just broke three world records in her age group.
“When I swim, I feel so happy,” said Brussel, who lives in British Columbia. “It’s the most relaxing feeling to just glide through the water.”
Last weekend, she broke the world record in her age group for the 400-meter freestyle - she swam it in 12 minutes and 50 seconds - beating the previous record-holder by nearly four minutes. Brussel competes in the 100-to-104 age category, as categories are determined by birth year.
She also set a new record for the 50-meter breaststroke, which she did in one minute and 52 seconds, and the 50-meter backstroke, which took her one minute and 24 seconds.
For everybody thinking it’s too late, shut the hell up and get to work on your dreams!
It’s never too late to shut the hell up! But it’s sometimes too difficult…
I took up swimming in my late 30s and now I can swim fairly competitively. It’s rough in the beginning but once it clicks, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.