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BC Swimming Alumni Network – Betty Brussel

July 28, 2026

Betty Brussel’s love of sport began long before she entered competitive swimming. Growing up in Amsterdam as the second of twelve children in the late 1920s and 1930s, she lived through five years of wartime occupation as a teenager and did not have access to organized sports. Regardless, her childhood was filled with sport; summers were spent swimming in Amsterdam’s canals, and when winter arrived, bathing suits were swapped for skates, and Betty excelled at speed skating. These early years helped build a lifelong love of movement and laid the foundation for what would become a highly decorated competitive swimming career.

After immigrating to Canada at age 39, Betty and her husband raised their three children before eventually retiring in Grand Forks. It wasn’t until the late 1980s, when the town built its first four-lane swimming pool, that Betty began swimming in an organized setting.

Though she knew how to swim, she had never competed before the BC Senior Games in 1991, and she did not know any of the official rules. At her first Senior Games in Coquitlam, she recalls competing in a single length of breaststroke and admits she didn’t swim it properly, but it marked the beginning of an incredible journey.

Since diving in at her first BC Senior Games in 1991, Betty has not missed a Games. She credits her growth from that first race in 1991 to the swimmer she is today to the fellow swimmers and coaches who taught her the technical details of turns, proper strokes, and racing.

Betty noted how special the swimming community is, saying, “Swimming is family. Everybody roots for everybody else. Everyone cares about each other.”

Her commitment to the sport has led to success at the provincial, national, and international levels, where she holds multiple Masters world, national, and provincial records. When asked about her highlights, she narrowed it down to three moments:

• 95 years old: Broke the world records in both the 50-metre and 200-metre breaststroke.
• International Travel: Travelled to Sydney, Reno, and Budapest to compete against athletes from around the world.
• BC Senior Games: Competed consistently for 35 years.

Her career has been marked by a strong sense of resilience. Over the decades, she has navigated a torn rotator cuff, a stroke, and various broken bones and injuries.

Through every setback, she followed one central rule: “Whatever happens in your life, always go back to swimming.”

For her, the pool is a unique space that requires complete focus, where counting laps helps clear her mind of everyday worries.

Today, as Betty Brussel celebrates her 102nd birthday, we recognize not only her extraordinary achievements in the pool but also the lasting impact she has made on the swimming community in British Columbia and beyond. Through her resilience, passion, and lifelong commitment to the sport, Betty continues to inspire swimmers, coaches, officials, and volunteers of all ages.

For Betty, swimming is more than a sport; it is a lifelong pursuit, best captured by a favourite shirt given to her by a fellow swimmer: “We don’t stop swimming because we grow old. We grow old because we stop swimming.”