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What does a life fully lived in the water look like? For Jane Asher, it looks like five world records broken in a single weekend, at the age of 95. A South London swimming legend and great-grandmother, Jane didn't even begin her competitive career until she was 55. Since then, she has become one of Masters swimming's most remarkable figures, currently holding world records in the 95–99 age group across the 50m, 100m, 200m, individual medley, and 50m backstroke.
In this conversation, Salim sits down with Jane to trace the extraordinary arc of her life, from clandestine boarding school pool sessions in 1940s Johannesburg and witnessing apartheid at close quarters, to coaching the next generation and returning to competition in her late 50s. Jane reflects on the joy that has kept her in the water for over eight decades, the friendships swimming has given her across the world, and why she still does tumble turns.
What's in this episode
What's in this episode
- Growing up on Zambia's Copperbelt and swimming at a Johannesburg boarding school in the 1940s
- How apartheid shaped and troubled Jane's early life, and the moment swimming offered something different
- Teaching herself to swim competitively at 40, then discovering the Masters swimming world
- Building clubs and communities, from Jane's Extra Training sessions to the King's Cormorants in Wimbledon
- Breaking five World Records at the recent Guernsey Masters meet
- The meditative quality of swimming and why counting strokes keeps her present
- Her advice to anyone over 60 thinking about getting in the water for the first time
- Why Jane still gets up for a 9am swim three times a week.
Useful Links
Swimming & Open Water
- Shepperton Lake - open-water venue mentioned in the episode
- Hampton Pool
- Kings Cormorants Masters Swimming Club - Jane's local swimming club
- East Anglian Swallow Tails - the club Jane set up with her friends Seymour Banning and Carol Buykx
- Kingfishers Swimming Club - set up by Jane in Norwich
- Swim England Masters - the national body for adult competitive swimming in England
- Outdoor Swimmer Magazine
Swim with Salim
Jane's record breaking achievements
Be a part of the show: Here's how to get in touch...
- Email us: inatthedeependpod@gmail.com
- Use the get in touch form HERE - https://inatthedeepend.transistor.fm/be-a-part-of-the-show
- Send us a voice message HERE- https://www.speakpipe.com/InAtTheDeepEnd
Produced by The Good Studio - thegoodstudio.co.uk
Creators and Guests
What is In At The Deep End?
Inspring journeys from the pool to the everyday. Hosted by Salim Ahmed, a lifelong swimmer and swim coach with over 22 years experience, the show dives into the human stories behind the sport. Not just times and techniques, but the moments when water became an anchor, a lifeline, or a turning point.
Each episode features honest, intimate conversations with everyday swimmers, Olympians, well-known names and unheard voices, all united by the role swimming has played in their lives. These are stories of resilience and reinvention, of grief and joy, of quiet victories and near-impossible comebacks.
From open-water epiphanies to childhood pool memories, In at the Deep End explores how swimming steadies us, challenges us and carries us through life’s waves.
If you love inspiring stories with depth, this is where you dive in.