At the Lifesaving World Championships 2024, Aussie Masters athlete, Alison Windsor, delivered a commanding performance on the opening day of competition in the pool to break a world record that had stood for 20 years.
The Lifesaving World Championships 2024 opened on the Gold Coast with a dominant display from masters athletes, headlined by a standout performance from Alexandra Headlands competitor Alison Windsor, who broke a 20‑year‑old world record in the Women’s 70+ 100m Obstacles.
Competing at her first-ever World Championships, and returning to surf lifesaving after more than 50 years away from the sport, Alison said at the time that it was a wonderful experience to be active and enjoying the surf competition environment
“I have swum all my life and as an adult once the kids were older, but I was coerced by my daughter – my number one supporter, along with my fellow clubmates, into doing the relay so decided to do individual events as well,” Alison said.
“I wanted to go under 1:38 so I was very happy. I looked at the time and I could see what it was, but I didn’t know what the World Record was. Sarah was in the stands and yelling to me you’ve got a World Record,” she said.
Alison’s daughter Sarah Windsor, who competed in the 2002 and 2009 Lifesaving World Championships, also became a world record holder in 2024 after she broke records in the 200m Super Lifesaver and 100m Rescue Medley events at the Australian Pool Rescue Championships.
At Lifesaving World Championships 2024 she secured the Gold Medal in the Women’s 45- 49 years 200m Obstacles.
“I knew she (Mum) had it in the bag. I might be the pushy daughter but that’s ok. I told her she’d win the world record and she put her hands over her ears and didn’t want to know about it, so I thought I’ll be quiet on it until it happens. She turned at 45secs, so I knew she was on target and everyone around me knew she was going to break the world record,” Sarah said.
As athletes around the world continue their preparations for the Lifesaving World Championships 2026, Windsor’s record‑breaking swim stands out as a defining moment of 2024, reminding the international lifesaving community that excellence can emerge at any age and from any stage of life.
The Lifesaving World Championships 2026 will held at Port Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela Bay South Africa from 25 November 2026. Entries and event information are available on the Lifesaving World Championships 2026 event website.