‘I just count the laps’: Canadian swimmer, 99, breaks three world records
By the time an exhausted Betty Brussel finally swims to the finish and pulls herself from the pool, an Olympic athlete could have covered the same distance at least three times. But the 99-year-old Canadian’s quiet determination has led her to shatter world records and transformed her into an unlikely celebrity within the amateur swim community.
At a weekend swim meet in the British Columbia city of Saanich, Brussel broke the existing world record in the 400-metre freestyle, knocking nearly four minutes off the previous standard in the 100- to 104-year-old age class. She repeated her record-breaking performances in 50-metre backstroke and the 50-metre breaststroke that same day.
“When I’m racing, I don’t think about anything. Nothing. I just count the laps, so that I know how many I have left. I always try to find a pace that I can sustain – you’re asking a lot from your body in these races. And on the last lap, well, I give it everything I have.”
Born in Holland in 1924, Brussel and her siblings learned to swim in the canals near Amsterdam. In 1959, she and her husband Gerrit, moved to Canada, settling outside the town of Grand Forks, where they raised three children. Brussel first took interest in competitive swimming in her mid-sixties, when she raced in the British Columbia Senior Games. “I had no idea what I was doing,” she said. But she was hooked.
“I really enjoy swimming. I’d love the feeling of gliding through the water and it just makes me feel very good.” Even though she’s not yet 100, swimming uses the competitors’ birth year to determine the age category and so Brussel will compete in the 100 to 104 category for the rest of the year.
Over the years, she’s maintained a consistent training regime at the pool – twice a week, with no drills. “What can I say? I’m a bit lazy.” She’s also accumulated a pile of medals too heavy for her to lift.
Swimmers are typically strongest in their mid to late 20s, says Linda Stanley Wilson, president of the White Rock Wave Swim Club, which Brussel joined five years ago, and her “biggest cheerleader”.
“At the college level, you’re usually doing double workouts, you’re usually supported by a grant so that you’re not paying for classes, your coaches are making sure you’re not taking hard classes, you’re doing a weight training program,” said Stanley Wilson, who holds a doctoral degree in kinesiology. For her part, Brussel suspects her strongest swimming was in her 80s.
“I don’t even think about the records. I just swim. I just do the best I can. And if it’s a record fine. If I win, I’m happy to win. But if I have a good time, I’m happier.”
With so few swimmers in her age group, Brussel is nearly always assured a record each time she enters the pool. In some races, no one her age has ever raced the distance, meaning she sets a world standard simply by finishing.
Stanley Wilson, who coaches Brussel alongside others at the club, says Brussel’s seemingly inexhaustible energy has become an inspiration for other club members. At races, families approach her and ask if she might pose for a photo with them. She’s also attracted the interest of filmmakers; Hannah Walsh and Emma Puchniak have been shadowing Brussel this year for a documentary they hope to release later this year.
“Betty has the most twinkly blue eyes and biggest smile. She is very funny and a chatterbox,” said Stanley Wilson. “When it comes to coaching I really just make sure that she’s not doing anything biomechanically counter-productive or that she might sustain an injury from. The reality is, here’s a lot of paperwork with world records, and I have to fill all that out.”
Brussel, who lives alone, is cautious to attribute a single activity to her excellent health and mobility. An avid reader, she does puzzles and cryptograms, as well as embroidery, crossstitch and knitting.
“Sometimes I feel old. My youngest, who’s 70, said ‘Mom, you are old!’ But I don’t really feel old – only when I’m really tired. But for the rest of the time, I don’t feel old.”
After losing her husband, Gerrit, a few years ago, the pool has remained a constant for Brussel.
“Whatever happened to me. I always go back to swimming. I always feel better when I get to forget all my worries. Always,” she said. “I’m actually a bit shy, and so I get confidence from the water. I’m still getting used to all this attention. But with all of this focus and these records, I’m even starting to feel a bit proud of myself, too.”