Sport
31 July, 2025
Diving into the world stage
AT 81 years of age, Ararat’s Wilf Dickeson is preparing to represent the region on the international stage, competing at the World Aquatics Masters Championships in Singapore this August.
After competing in the Masters National Swimming Championships in April, Wilf also was qualified to swim at the world event in both the 50-metre freestyle and 50-metre backstroke.
The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity wasn’t lost on Wilf when he received the call-up.
“I’ve just received notification that I’ve been accepted,” he said.
WIlf will compete against 28 men in the 80-84 years of age who are swimming in the 50-metre freestyle, with 19 swimmers in the backstroke.
For Wilf, it’s not about chasing medals.
“It’s the opportunity to compete. I’m just hoping that I can swim a good swim,” he said. “I’m probably 25th out of those 28. And probably 20th of the 19. Not quite that bad, but look I’ve qualified,” he said.
Recognising how rare such an opportunity is, Wilf is embracing every moment of the experience.
“Why shouldn’t I go and have the experience. I’m 81, I may never get the opportunity again, you know. I’m lucky to be able to do it and be there. There are some things or opportunities in life you don’t miss out on. It’ll be wonderful to meet international competitors,” he said.
And he’s making sure he’s ready by training most days at the Ararat pool.
“I’ve been doing five days a week mostly here at Ararat, I’ve gone to Ballarat a couple of times to get the 50-metre length. And I’ll continue to do that until we leave,” he said.
Wilf will join over 6,000 competitors from around the world when the championships begin on August 8.
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