Betty Brussel
Betty Brussel (born July 28, 1924)[1] is a competitive swimmer. She has set a total of five world records, three of which were established on January 20, 2024.
Personal life
[edit]Brussel was born in Holland in 1924. She dropped out of high school during World War II to care for her ten younger siblings. She first learned how to swim in a canal near Amsterdam.[2] Her family could not afford to pay for swim lessons.[3] She married her husband Gerrit in 1949.[1] She emigrated to Canada in 1959. Brussel had three children while living in Grand Forks, British Columbia.[4]
Athletic career
[edit]Brussel started swimming competitively when she was 68. That year, she joined a swim club with her husband.[3] She then competed in the B.C. Seniors Games.[5] In 2019, she set the world record in the 95-99 age category for the 50-metre breaststroke.[6] In 2023, she won the Swimming Excellence Award at a competition in Calgary.[7] On January 20, 2024,[5] she set the world record for 400-metre freestyle and beat the previous one by four minutes.[4] Brussel broke two other records that day in the 50-metre breaststroke and 50-metre backstroke.[8] Her time for the backstroke event was 1:25:22 minutes and her time for the breaststroke event was 1:56:22 minutes.[1] Her time for the 400 m freestyle event was 12 minutes and 50 seconds.[9] In April 2024, she set the record in the 800 m freestyle at a time of 26 minutes and 17 seconds in a Masters swimming competition.[10] She broke these records while she was 99 in the 100-to-104-year-old age category, as it relies on birth year rather than exact age. Few swimmers have ever competed at Brussel's age and sometimes she has been the first to ever finish a distance.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Dickson, Louise. "'I just love swimming': 99-year-old sets three world records in single day". Times Colonist. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Hannigan, Mary. "From Nazi occupation to world records, 99-year-old swimmer Betty Brussel shows no sign of stopping". The Irish Times. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ a b Sawatsky, Adam. "98-year-old B.C. competitive swimmer strives to inspire after surviving war and losing love". CTV News. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ a b c Cecco, Leyland. "'I just count the laps': Canadian swimmer, 99, breaks three world records". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ a b Moran, Padraig. "Betty Brussel is 99. She just smashed 3 world swimming records". CBC Radio. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Olsen, Dan. "This New West senior is downright inspiring". New Westminster Record. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Thomas, Stephanie. "98-year-old B.C. woman presented Swimming Excellence Award at Calgary competition". CTV News. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Muzaffar, Maroosha. "Betty Brussel, 99-year-old Canadian swimmer, breaks three world records". The Independent. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Rockson, Gabrielle. "99-Year-Old Swimmer Breaks 3 World Records on Same Day: 'I Just Do the Best I Can'". People. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Nesbit, Ben. "99-year-old B.C. swimmer continues to set world records". CTV News. Retrieved 29 August 2024.