99-year-old B.C. swimmer continues to set world records
As Betty Brussel swam her final length of the pool, a crowd full of spectators, coaches and teammates roared in support as the 99-year-old closed in on making more history Sunday.
Competing in the 800-metre freestyle at the Masters Swimming Association of B.C. provincials in Surrey, Brussel finished with a time of 26 minutes and 17 seconds, a new world record for the 100-to-104-year-old age category.
“I just swam you know; I just did the best I can,” Brussel, who now holds 10 world records, told CTV News.
While the records continue to pile up, Brussel says she continues to compete to maintain her health, and out of love for the sport.
“It’s just a good feeling when you glide through the water,” she said.
Brussel, who will turn 100 years old in July, still dives off the platform with grace.
Her longevity and positive attitude serve as inspiration for her teammates and coaches with the White Rock Wave Swim Club.
“Betty is an inspiration when she swims, whether she breaks a world record or not,” said club president Linda Stanley Wilson.
“She’s just got a really positive outlook, she’s always ready to do any race, she will do relays, she will do six or seven races in a day,” said Stanley Wilson.
Brussel’s path to swimming glory wasn’t exactly a traditional one.
Growing up in Holland with humble beginnings, Brussel eventually immigrated to Canada with her husband and kids, before taking up swimming at the age of 68.
“I didn’t really know anything about proper strokes, or turns, or diving, I picked it all up along the way,” she said.
Stanley Wilson says the club has now created a new “Be like Betty” award.
“It’s an inspiration award we’ll give out every year,” she said. “You don’t have to break a world record, you just need to be a person who is inspiring others.”
Brussel says while she’s still getting learning to embrace the attention coming her way, she takes pride in the fact she’s showing people that you’re never too old to learn.
“People come up to me and say, ‘I was ready to quit, or I didn’t think I could start at my age,’ and then I look at you and say, ‘yes, it can be done,’” she said.
While the provincial championships have come to an end, Brussel says she plans to compete in the World Senior Games in October.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
There's progress reported in Gaza truce talks, but Israel downplays chances of ending war with Hamas
A delegation of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was in Cairo on Saturday as Egyptian state media reported "noticeable progress" in cease-fire talks with Israel, though an Israeli official downplayed the prospects for a full end to the war in Gaza.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.