95-Year-Old Breaks 5 Swimming Records, Shares Her Secret

At 95 years old, Jane Asher is still making a splash in swimming pools around the world.

The London grandmother recently broke five age-related world swimming records, adding to the more than 100 records she's already claimed since turning 50. Her secret to longevity isn't complicated: stay in the water and surround yourself with people who lift you up.

"It does keep you healthy," Asher told SWNS News. "I have taught people who just had surgery and their doctors were amazed by how much they had improved because of the swimming."

Asher's love affair with water started in childhood in South Africa. Her mother learned to swim in the sea off Cornwall and passed down that passion to her daughter, who spent every free moment jumping in and out of the water.

Even during World War II, when competitions weren't possible, young Asher swam every morning before school. "We didn't have competitions, but I swam every morning to get rid of some energy," she recalled.

Life took Asher around the world, but she always found a local pool and team. After marriage, she turned her passion into purpose by teaching swimming to earn extra money for her family.

She didn't enter her first masters competition until age 50. By 80, she had already broken 100 world records.

After her husband died, swimming became more than exercise. "There is this big hole in your life," she said. "But swimming has given me such good friends and they give back to me."

Sunny's Take

Those friends do more than cheer from the sidelines. They help Asher navigate the digital world of online competition registration, something that moves faster than she'd like at 95.

"Without friends, life doesn't happen," Asher said. "There is always somebody pushing you on. I think that is what keeps me going, somebody waiting for me."

Now a grandmother of 11 and great-grandmother of six, Asher shows no signs of slowing down. She continues to train, compete, and inspire swimmers of all ages that the best victories often come later in life.

Her message is simple: find what you love, dive in deep, and bring friends along for the ride.