Betty Brussel

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Betty Brussel (born July 28, 1924) [1] is a Dutch-Canadian competitive swimmer. She has set a total of five world records, three of which were established on January 20, 2024. She is a centenarian.

Contents

Athletic career

Brussel started swimming competitively when she was 68. That year, she joined a swim club with her husband. [2] She competed in the BC Seniors Games in the 1990s. [3] In 2019, Brussel competed in the BC Masters Provincial Championships where she won seven gold medals. [4] She also set the world record in the 95–99 age category for the 50-metre breaststroke. [5] In 2022, she won the Ted Simpson Award at an event in South Surrey. [6] In 2023, she won the Swimming Excellence Award at a competition in Calgary. [7]

On January 20, 2024, [3] Brussel set the world record for 400-metre freestyle, beating the previous one by four minutes. [8] She broke two other records that day, in the 50-metre breaststroke and 50-metre backstroke. [9] Her time for the breaststroke event was 1 minute 56.22 seconds and for the backstroke event was 1 minute 25.22 seconds. [1] Her time for the 400 m freestyle event was 12 minutes and 50 seconds. [10] 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. [11] 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. [8] Brussel trains twice a week and is the oldest member of the White Rock Wave Swim Team, a competitive Canadian masters swim team. [12]

Personal life

Brussel was born in Zaandam, Netherlands 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. [13] Her family could not afford to pay for swim lessons. [2] She married her husband Gerrit in 1949 [1] and they emigrated to Canada in 1959 where she worked as a seamstress. [14] Brussel had three children while living in Grand Forks, British Columbia. [8] Brussel retired in 1982 [12] and now lives in New Westminster. [15] Besides swimming, she is an avid reader and enjoys knitting and cross-stitching. [12] A documentary about her life is in production [12] by Hannah Walsh and Emma Puchniak and a 2024 release is planned. [13] It was funded through Kickstarter. [14]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Dickson, Louise (January 27, 2024). "'I just love swimming': 99-year-old sets three world records in single day". Times Colonist. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Sawatsky, Adam (September 17, 2022). "98-year-old B.C. competitive swimmer strives to inspire after surviving war and losing love". CTV News. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Moran, Padraig. "Betty Brussel is 99. She just smashed 3 world swimming records". CBC Radio. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  4. ↑ Greenizan, Nick (April 22, 2019). "Senior swimmer leads White Rock Wave with world record at provincial championships". North Delta Reporter. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  5. ↑ Olsen, Dan (March 6, 2019). "This New West senior is downright inspiring". New Westminster Record. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  6. ↑ Greenizan, Nick (April 27, 2022). "White Rock Wave top team standings at provincial masters swim championships". Cloverdale Reporter. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  7. ↑ Thomas, Stephanie (May 26, 2023). "98-year-old B.C. woman presented Swimming Excellence Award at Calgary competition". CTV News. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 Cecco, Leyland (January 23, 2024). "'I just count the laps': Canadian swimmer, 99, breaks three world records". The Guardian. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  9. ↑ Muzaffar, Maroosha (January 24, 2024). "Betty Brussel, 99-year-old Canadian swimmer, breaks three world records". The Independent. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  10. ↑ Rockson, Gabrielle. "99-Year-Old Swimmer Breaks 3 World Records on Same Day: 'I Just Do the Best I Can'". People. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  11. ↑ Nesbit, Ben (April 21, 2024). "99-year-old B.C. swimmer continues to set world records". CTV News. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Swimmer, 99, just broke three world records in 100-plus age group". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  13. 1 2 Hannigan, Mary. "From Nazi occupation to world records, 99-year-old swimmer Betty Brussel shows no sign of stopping". The Irish Times. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  14. 1 2 Ahmed, Shireen. "100-year-old Canadian swimmer Betty Brussel continues to defy odds and break records". CBC Sports. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  15. ↑ Klikenburger, Marty (January 21, 2024). "From Amsterdam's canals to pools of B.C.: At 99, competitive swimmer Betty Brussel is smashing records". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
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