BY Victor Akhidenor
Mieko Nagaoka, a 100-year old Japanese woman, has become the world’s first centenarian to complete a 1,500 metre freestyle swim.
The feat was achieved at a Japan Masters Swimming Association event in Matsuyama and her official time is expected to be sent to the Guinness Book of World Records for ratification.
She took one hour, 15 minutes and 54.39 seconds to finish the race as the sole competitor in the 100-104-year-old category.
The Yamaguchi native, who was born in 1914, is not thinking of quitting the sport.
“I want to swim until I turn 105 if I can live that long,” she told Kyodo News.
Nagaoka only took up swimming when she hit 80 but in her 20 years in the sport – and besides Saturday’s achievement – she has broken age class records for everything from the 100m, 200m and 800m freestyle, alongside the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke.
She remains a dedicated swimmer, training four times a week, for two hours at a time, according to her profile on world swimming body FINA’s website.
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