A 76-year-old swimmer has won big at the Mpumalanga Sport Awards 2020, proving that age is just a number.

Geraldine Janssens walked away with two big awards, namely sportswoman of the year and sports star of the year at the recent virtual ceremony.

The swimmer received the accolades after a wonderful year in the pool during 2019, including setting national records and earning a national call-up. At the 2019 National Championships, Janssens won all three backstroke distances in record times, which earned her a call-up to the national team to represent the country at the World Championships in Korea last August, where she won a silver medal in 200-metre backstroke.

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“I am so delighted to have won these awards. I would like to congratulate the organisers, the sponsors and all concerned who worked to make the awards happen. I would also like to congratulate the other nominees and winners on their individual achievements,” said Janssens, who started swimming in mid-2007 after having not swum for 52 years.

“I entered my first competition in November 2017 at the Mpumalanga Championships. I came within seven seconds of the national record in the 200-metre backstroke. After that, I started training hard and entered the masters nationals in March 2018, and won the 200-metre backstroke and broke the national record,” she explained.

Culture, sport and recreation MEC, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, congratulated the veteran swimmer. “Janssens deserves all the accolades she has won at the Mpumalanga Sport Awards. She has done well in the past couple of years and has represented the province with honour and distinction. Her achievements in the pool have put the province on the sporting map.”