For many athletes driven by a passion for the sport and exemplary determination, success knows no bounds, and in British Columbia, one swimmer didn't let her ripe old age of 99 stop her from achieving her dreams.
Betty Brussel came to Canada in 1959 after a stay in the Netherlands and strictly follows her recipe to stay alive as long as possible. The ingredients include practicing a very specific physical activity. The nonagenarian began swimming seriously at the age of 68. Today she has no regrets, as she explained in an interview with the Globe and Mail newspaper last weekend, especially since she owns several global brands.
She also set new records in the 50-meter breaststroke, 50-meter backstroke and 400-meter freestyle at an event Saturday in Saanich. The one who says she only has a cell phone for emergency calls – all her friends are dead, she says – competed in five events at the Victoria Masters Swim Club competition.
“I love being in a pool and sliding through the water. I feel better when I come out than when I enter. Swimming is my love. “It makes me forget all my problems and makes me feel good,” she said.
However, due to a cardiac arrest some 25 years ago, his exploits were unpredictable. “I take life one day at a time and enjoy it,” she said. I feel lucky to be able to do this.”
Impressive
People who watched her work did not hesitate to express their great amazement at Ms. Brussel's achievements. Hannah Walsh, a former swimmer who is working on a documentary film featuring the older athlete, is amazed.
“I didn’t expect much because of his age. I thought she was doing a few laps in practice. However, she explained that she swam from 1200 to 1500 m. If I had run a total of five races in one evening, I would have been exhausted. For her part, she recovered within an hour and felt very energetic.”
“When I'm around her, I don't think about her 99 years because she doesn't act her age. “But when someone acts like that, I wonder how many people do it,” thought his instructor, Linda Stanley Wilson. How can I give advice to a 99-year-old when he’s breaking records and doing everything right?”