By Xiu Ying, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Brazilian athlete beat the swimming world record in the 50-meter breaststroke event — at one hundred years of age.
The masters event, held in Belo Horizonte at the club where she trains, was a historic day for Dona Laurinha. Was she nervous? “No, I was not, I never was. I got it into my head if it happened or it did not happen either way,” she said.
She turned 100 years old on April 2nd. “I am a healthy woman. All of my examinations are better than my daughters’; if you hold back, you have nothing,” said Laura.
She has six children, seventeen grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren, but she lives alone. She has been a widow for 70 years. That was when she started to swim, and today, she trains four times per week and collects medals.
Dona Laurinha became the first Brazilian swimmer 100 years or older to participate in an official competition. Further: she set a new world record for women between the ages of 100 and 104 years old in the 50-meter breaststroke: 2:46.91. “It was very gratifying. It was wonderful.”
With a world record at 100 years old, she has now become a celebrity. Is she thinking of trying to break new records? “I don’t want any more competition; now I am going to take a little rest. I already did a lot,” she points out.
