Shane plunges in to TV comp

AUSTRALIAN Survivor has returned to our screens bringing with it one of the game’s oldest competitors in swimming legend Shane Gould.

Gould, 61, who has lived in Bicheno for the past 10 years, wasted no time in making her presence felt when she beat a younger competitor in a strength test in the first challenge of last night’s series premiere.

Gould was recruited by producers as one of 12 “champions” — other public figures include a former Miss Universe, a double amputee war veteran and an infamous three-time contestant from Survivor US — competing against 12 unknowns, called the “contenders”, in Fiji.

The winner will take home $500,000 and while Gould has no idea who that will be (the winner will not be announced for a couple of months) she was happy to survive the first night.

“I love camping so that side of the things — the outdoor living and cooking on a fire — was easier than if you’re in a colder climate. We got straight into making a shelter and gathering wood and checking out our tools,” she said.

However, it was still a shock to the system.

“The shock over the first week or so was the lack of variety of flavours in the food, and lack of food. We were given a ration of 800 calories a day. Then we had to forage,” she said.

“At 61, I was the oldest there, but I had an advantage over the younger players because I have life experience. And I maintain a lifestyle of fitness.”

Gould was 15 years of age when she won five medals at the 1972 Olympics in Munich.