99-year-old swimmer George Corones from Australia breaks world record
Australia’s 99-year-old George Corones has proved that age is no bar by creating a 'world record' in the swimming pool. George celebrates his 100th birthday next month. He is claimed to be the 50-metres long-course freestyle world record holder for his age group. The 99-year-old set a time record of 56.12 seconds for a single length of the Gold Coast Aquatic Center pool, which will host the swimming competition at the Commonwealth Games next month. The race was organised specifically to allow Corones a chance to break the 100-104 age group record of 1:31.19 set in 2014 by Briton John Harrison. "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 said after creating the record. “It’s the only time when you’re not fighting against gravity,” he said. “When you’re in the water you’re in an anti-gravity environment and it’s beautiful.” The former doctor credits his longevity to swimming, which he took up again at the age of 80. "I gave it up at the beginning of the war [World War Two], and I don't think I had a swim of any description until I retired," he told BBC. "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," he said. As reported, the 99-year-old will challenge the 100m freestyle record on Saturday night, believing he can beat the current mark of 03:23.10. "I'm not a young man by any means, but I am really looking forward to it and confident I can do very well," he added. -PTC News
