92-year-old sets records during her first-ever swim meet

(Image credit: iStock)

published 1 August 2017

She waited 92 years to compete in her first swim meet, and Stasia Kowalski blew her competitors out of the water.

On Saturday, Kowalski swam in three races at the 41st Annual Lakeside Masters Long Course Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky: The 50-meter backstroke, 100-meter backstroke, and a medley relay. She broke the record for the 100-meter backstroke in the 90-94 age bracket, set in August 2002, and the record for the 50-meter backstroke set in August 2003. "There's not too many 90-year-olds swimming in our region," Lakeside Swim Club general manager Mary Graves told The Courier-Journal. "It's pretty amazing. She's an inspiration."

Kowalski said she didn't learn how to swim until she turned 40, because growing up, she was terrified of the water. In the summer, she swims two to three times a week, 15 laps every time. When she's not in the pool, Kowalski can be found cooking gourmet meals, playing Scrabble, and doing yoga. "Just because you're in your 90s doesn't mean life is over," Kowalski told The Courier-Journal. "There's always something exciting to do, if you want to."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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