Her racing style wasn’t exactly stylish – she plopped into the pool and dog paddled to the other side. Ninety-six-year-old Aucklander Kath Johnstone remembers her debut at the age of four into the competitive swimming world, winning her first prize and proudly buying a dolls’ tea set with the proceeds.
“I’ve always loved swimming and remember that day at the Parakai Hot Pools. I jumped from the diving board too – much to my mother’s horror.”
Ninety-two years on, she trains twice a week and will be the oldest competitor to swim at this month’s FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation) World Masters in Montreal, Canada.
Kath is planning to repeat her success at the last masters games in Riccione, Italy, when she came home with five medals.
The games attract about 6000 swimmers, divers and water polo players from all over the world. Kath is entered in five events and is planning to repeat her success from two years ago at the last masters games in Riccione, Italy, when she came home with five medals.
For that trip, Kath was granted an AMP Scholarship to Italy. “This went towards flying business class with my daughter and renting an apartment in Riccione.
This time, I am funding the trip and my daughters, Carolyn [Caukwell] and Anna [Dicker], will be with me.”
Born in Christchurch, where her father was a Presbyterian minister, Kath moved often with her family while growing up.
She recently moved to Lady Allum retirement village on Auckland’s North Shore, where she walks and does resistance training each day and also enjoys outdoor bowls, croquet, backgammon, mah jong and bridge. “I look after myself really well and the food here is first rate,” she says with a smile.
“The staff and other residents like to hear about my swimming.”
It wasn’t until Kath was in her seventies, when she won her first masters competition, that she became truly hooked.
The nonagenarian had won a raft of accolades and was about to retire at the age of 95 when she was thrilled to be honoured last year as “Swimmer of the Year” by the NZ Masters Swimming Federation.
That diving style Kath first demonstrated when she was only four has been refined by her coach Moe Richardson, at the Mt Albert Wave Pool, so she can shave time off her records. And it’s working. The swim star recently broke two of her own records set in 2013.
“Swimming has not only kept me fit and active, but I have travelled and met so many new friends and had the opportunity to speak to many groups,” Kath says. And she intends to keep spreading her message that “age is only an attitude”.
‘Feel-Good Friday’ is brought to you thanks to ecostore.
Words by: Robyn Yousef
