‘IF YOU DON’T MOVE YOU DROP DEAD’
HE’S been a sensation of the swimming pool, creating headlines around the world after breaking two world records at the Aquatic Centre last week. Today we reveal the secrets behind 99-year-old George Corones’ amazing performances. “Dad’s philosophy is if you don’t move you drop dead,” his eldest son Harry said.
A BOILED egg for breakfast, regular stretching exercises and a proper night’s sleep are among the secrets of 99-year-old swimming sensation George Corones’ success.
Mr Corones was yesterday resting up after his second recordbreaking swim at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre in Southport on Saturday night.
The Masters swimmer smashed the 100m record by 59 seconds just days after he broke the 50m record in the men’s Masters category.
Mr Corones is now the titleholder of the 100 to 104 age group for both the 100m and 50m categories with times of 2.24.21 minutes and 56.12 seconds respectively.
“Dad’s philosophy is if you don’t move you drop dead,” George’s eldest son Harry Corones said.
Mr Corones said his father, who will celebrate his 100th birthday next month, was taking some well-deserved time to recover. “Basically he tries to get a good uninterrupted sleep and then does quite an extensive range of stretching for all his muscles,” he said.
According to his son, the athlete’s winning regimen usually consists of a boiled egg, toast and fruit for breakfast and “sometimes a bit of Weet-Bix”.
“He only eats small portions,” Mr Corones said. “When he is preparing for a race he gets a bee in his bonnet, he swims three days a week and gyms for two.
“That doesn’t mean he lifts 100kg, he does some cycling or the ropes where you can build up some strength, it is amazing to see what it has done for him.”
Having taken up the sport at 80 years of age after retiring as a GP, George Corones is only just hitting his athletic
HE IS JUST VERY KEEN TO LET OTHER PEOPLE SEE WHAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE WHEN YOU SET YOUR MIND TO IT HARRY CORONES, SON
stride and plans to take on the 100m breaststroke record later this year.
“He is just very keen to let other people see what you can achieve when you set your mind to it,” Mr Corones said.
“He wants to encourage other people to realise what they can do.
“He can beat me, don’t you worry and I am 30 years younger than him.”
On completing his record-breaking lap Mr Corones celebrated the achievement poolside with his family and was to visit his wife of 73 years in a north Brisbane nursing home to deliver the good news yesterday.
“He wasn’t boisterous about it,” Mr Corones said.
“He just had a cuddle with the family and basked in the glory of what he had done. Doing anything else is the furthest thing from his mind, he is too modest.”