Swimming legend Susie O'Neill breaks world record at 50 years of age
Susie O'Neill has broken a world record at the age of 50 in a triumphant return to international swimming at the World Masters Swimming Championships in Japan.
The two-time Olympic gold medallist won the 50m butterfly, breaking the world record and championship record for the 50-54 age group.
She touched out Britain’s Michelle Ware record by 0.52sec, with a time of 29.08 seconds, securing gold for her age group.
The swimmer nicknamed Madame Butterfly during her career, proved that she's still got it after winning her first competition and butterfly race since the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
This comes two months after she set another record when she swam an excellent time at the Masters championships in Queensland as part of her 50th birthday celebrations, which qualified her for the world championships.
She agreed to compete at the relay event in the Masters championships to celebrate her 50th, with her Nova 106.9 Breakfast co-hosts Ash Bradnam and David Lutteral, plus one of their listeners.
In a post-swim interview O'Neill told her co-hosts: “I felt like vomiting at the end to be honest,”
“In the olden days I was nervous before the race, but I was calmer when I went out behind the block. This was like the opposite. I was calm before, but as I walked out behind the blocks I got a bit dishevelled compared to normal. Really jittery.
“It was time to go out, and my goggles had come apart. My hands were shaking - and I couldn’t put my goggles on because they came apart at the nose-piece.
“So, I had to get a lady to help me, and the girl that I ended up just beating was trying to calm me down. My nerves hit me really, really badly.”
“I got a massive surge of adrenaline, and I reckon it helped me,” she said.
O'Neill added that she initially didn't realise she had broken a record.
“I wasn’t sure when I first finished.”
Despite the challenges, the swimming legend relished in the camaraderie with a few swimmers that she had met in the past.
“I met so many people in the marshalling area that I knew. For example, there was a Canadian girl in that race, and we swapped clothes in 1989 when we came to Japan for the Pan Pacific Games,” she said.
The swimmer told Channel 7’s Sunrise that this was a one-off and she has no plans to continue racing.
Images: Instagram