A 99-YEAR-old Australian swimmer has smashed the world record time for his age group in the 50m freestyle at the Commonwealth Games trials in Queensland.
George Corones, who turns 100 in April, completed the swim in 56.12 seconds to eclipse the previous record set by Britain’s John Harrison by 35 seconds.
Corones’ race was staged before the trials proper to allow him attempt to break the record one minute 31.19 seconds set by Harrison in 2014.
The Victoria native was the only competitor in the 100 to 104 years men’s masters category, and he is eligible for the record as he hits the century mark next month. The sport’s governing body must now verify the result.
“It was an exemplary swim for me, well balanced… and I was ready to hit the [wall] at the end very hard with my hand,” he told the BBC after the event.
He celebrates his 100th birthday next month, and only started swimming at the age of 80, but George Corones is now a world record holder in the pool. #7News pic.twitter.com/AJXtlqnc5j
— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) March 2, 2018
Corones also revealed he was a keen swimmer in his youth before giving it up at the beginning of World War Two, and he returned to the sport at the age of 80.
“I gave it up at the beginning of the war, and I don’t think I had a swim of any description until I retired,” he said.
“I started swimming again for exercise.
“At this age it takes a while to get going. You get exhausted much more easily, but if you do it sensibly, the rewards are astronomical.
“My first dozen strokes were well balanced and the trick is to just carry it on progressively, putting a little bit of increasing effort in each stroke,” he added.
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