She calls herself ‘a little lazy’, but still trains twice a week and is actually incredibly fit. So fit, in fact, that Dutch-Canadian Betty Brussel – now 99 years old – smashed no less than three world records in the pool last weekend: the 400-meter freestyle, the 50-meter backstroke and the 50-meter breaststroke.
Brussels took 12:50 minutes on the 400-meter freestyle, bettering the former world record within her age category by nearly four minutes. On the 50-meter backstroke, Brussel recorded 1:24 minute, almost five seconds faster than the previous record. On the 50-meter breaststroke there was no world record within Brussel’s age category yet, but there she recorded 1:56:22.
Brussel also immediately gave some advice for people who want to get the best out of themselves. “When I race, I don’t think about anything. Nothing. I just count the lanes so I know how many more I have to go. In the last meters, I give everything I have.”
You can watch Brussels’ 400-meter freestyle race below:
