26/08/2024
Copenhagen Open Masters, the 36th edition, will be held on 2nd November 2024.
The masters swim meet is sprint oriented, with participants from all over the world.
The swim meet is already open for registrations, deadline is 6th October 2024.
Read all about the swim meet, events, hotels, tickets for the party, please go to: https://copenhagen-open-masters.kvikkastrup.dk - no officials required from you, just bring you!
To stay updated with the latest news, we kindly request, that you follow our FaceBook page at: https://www.facebook.com/cphOpenMasters/
Before you register, please read all about the featured swimmer below, who happens to have her birthday TODAY!
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Happy birthday, Elisabeth!
Elisabeth Gløy Ketelsen, is a vibrant young masters swimmer at the tender age of 81, swimming out of STT (Swim Team Taastrup), in Denmark. Elisabeth found her way into masters swimming after a 40 year long swimming pause!
As a young woman, Elisabeth was already a succesful backstroker, and in 1960, had it not been for the Olympic rule of only 2 participants per country per event, Elisabeth might also have been an olympian today. But as the story played out, Denmark (actually her swimming club) already had 2 backstrokers qualified for the olympics. As a result of the surplus of backstrokers, Elisabeth was forced to switch to crawl.
Not long after the failed qualification to the Olympics, Elisabeth parents sent her away to Switzerland to attend education as decorator. While in Switzerland, Elisabeth did not swim, and this clearly diminished Elisabeth’s athletic level. She left swimming, though she stayed active in her post-swim life.
Fast forward 40 years, Elisabeth’s swimming talents were re-discovered by her husband’s colleague, a masters swimmer himself. Elisabeth was strongly urged to pickup swimming again, and pursue glory within the swimming masters community. And what a historical comeback it has been!
The very first masters swim meet she attended in Denmark, she swam 4 events, and won 3 gold in a regional Danish masters championship, held in Hvidovre in Denmark, known as “East Masters at Hvidovre”.
Since her comeback at the small pool at Hvidovre, a (very) small sample of her latest individual accomplishments will show you what Elisabeth has won:
World Championships 2019 (long course), Gwangju, South Korea
200 free, no 1: 3:15.91
800 free, no 1: 14:19.69
50 back, no 1: 0:43.37 (CR)
100 free, no 1: 1:34.65 (CR)
200 back, no 1: 3:28.92
World Championships 2023 (long course), Kyushu, Japan
800 free, no 1: 15:42.32
50 back, no 2: 0:46.42
100 back, no 2: 1:40.45
200 back, no 1: 3:48.49
World Championships 2024 (long course), Doha Qatar
200 back, no 1: 3:45.95 (CR)
800 free, no 2: 145.42.66
100 back, no 1: 1:41.90
50 back, no 1: 0:45.90
200 free, no 2: 3:34.97
European Championships 2024 (long course), Belgrade, Serbia
800 free, no 1: 15:51.79
50 back, no 1: 0:45.30 (CR & EUR)
100 back, no 1: 1.41.74 (CR)
Please forgive us, if we didn’t get it all, Elisabeth!
Clearly Elisabeth isn’t one to cherrypick sprint events only.
It’s a swimming legacy in the writing, and we could have ended the story with a natural high note right here.
While Elisabeth did indeed dominate most of her races in swimming, she has also met the ugly face of breast cancer, which required surgery on the 30th December 2022! The surgery forced her to pause swimming for 3 weeks, and an additional cancer radiation treatment forced another 5 weeks layoff. Then, if you look at the timeline, you will discover, that Elisabeth went on to win 2 gold and 2 silver at Kyushu, Japan - in July the same year, less than 7 month after her initial surgery!
What a true inspiration Elisabeth is. In fact so much that the The Danish Cancer Society published an article on their FaceBook page, that told the remarkable story of Elisabeth - which you can read here: https://www.facebook.com/stoetbrysterne (scroll for down article).
These days Elisabeth continues her normal life, and her normal training routines, which includes 3 weekly sessions in the pool, 3 kilometers each. As Elisabeth puts it quite informal: “I’m happy when I swim”.
We continue to cherish Elisabeth for her athletic accomplishments and at Copenhagen Open Masters we’re proud to host her year after year. Hope to see you on the 2nd November 2024 :)
