A 99-year-old Canadian swimmer broke three world records in her age group but considers herself “lazy” for only training two days a week.
Betty Brussel, of British Columbia, broke the 400-meter freestyle, 50-meter backstroke and 50-meter breaststroke records over the weekend.
He swam the 400-meter freestyle in 12 minutes and 50 seconds — beating the previous record holder by nearly four minutes, according to the Washington Post.
The Dutch-born swimmer finished two other races in less than two minutes.
Although he is not yet 100 years old, he is categorized in the 100-104 year age group because swimming started in the year of his birth and Brussel was born in 1924.
“I really enjoy swimming. I love the feeling of gliding through the water and it makes me feel really good,” he told The Guardian after his win.
Betty Brussel took part in competitive swimming in the mid-sixties. Hannah Walsh
Despite his incredible achievements, he still considers himself lazy, as he only hopes to be in the pool twice a week and does not practice anything.
“What can I say? I’m a bit lazy,” Brussel, who has collected hundreds of metals in his career, told the British outlet.
But the swimmer doesn’t care about all the gold he has accumulated in his home, telling The Guardian: “I don’t think about the record at all. I just swim. I just do the best I can. And if it is a record fine. If I win, I’m happy to win. But if I have a good time, I’m happier.”
Now 99, he has won hundreds of medals. Linda Stanley Wilson
“But with all this focus and records, I’m also starting to feel proud of myself.”
While swimming, Brussels does not “think about anything” but maintains a sustainable pace.
“I just count the laps, so I know how much I have left,” he told The Guardian. “I’m always trying to find a pace that I can maintain – you ask a lot from your body in this race. And in the last round, I gave everything I had.”
His trainer, Stanley Wilson, said the great-grandfather always had energy and “when it comes to coaching, I really make sure that he doesn’t do anything biomechanically counterproductive or he could get injured.”
“The reality is, here is a lot of paperwork with world records, and I have to fill it all out.”
Betty Brussel took part in competitive swimming in the mid-sixties. Now 99 years old, he has won hundreds of medals and has just broken three world records in his age group. Hannah Walsh
Although now a great swimmer, Brussel wasn’t always one. He grew up in a family of 12 and didn’t often pursue his hobbies.
He did not join swimming until 1982 during his retirement.
“It was quite challenging during the war,” he told the Washington Post.
“When I swim, I feel so happy,” said Brussel, who lives in British Columbia. Hannah Walsh
She was ten years old during World War II and had to focus on taking care of her siblings. He was also pulled out of school at age 14 and the family fell on hard times and had no electricity for more than three years, he told the DC-based outlet.
The dozen siblings learned to swim in a canal near Amsterdam, he told The Guardian.
Brussel eventually married and she and Gerrit moved to Canada in 1959, where she cleaned housing for a living and worked as a seamstress while raising three children, who are now 70, 72, and 74.
His first swimming competition was in 1991.
Betty Brussel took part in competitive swimming in the mid-sixties. Linda Stanley Wilson
“I swam breaststroke one lane, and I didn’t do it right,” she said of her first competition. “I started from the bottom up.”
Regardless of his mistakes, he fell in love with swimming and began competing at the Canadian Masters level, which is a class for swimmers over 18 years of age.
Brussel, now a member of the White Rock Wave Swim Team, has always enjoyed the thrill of competing and calls the pool a “happy place.”
The widow’s family, including her great-grandchildren, attended her meeting to comfort her.
On days she doesn’t swim, she takes a 45-minute walk up a hill near her home and spends her time knitting, cross-stitching and reading, she told the Washington Post.
The nearly centenarian – whose birthday is in July – does not take any medication or pills either and credits his physical activity to his longevity.
“Sometimes I feel old. My youngest, who is 70, said ‘Mom, you’re old!’ But I don’t feel old – only when I’m really tired. But for the rest, I don’t feel old,” he told The Guardian.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
