Laura's Games goal 'LET'S SEE WHAT I CAN DO!'

After retiring from the pool, she's back and ready to make her mark

- Fleur Guthrie

Standing on the blocks, with her powerful 1.85 metre-physique poised to dive into the pool at the recent World Aquatic Champs in Singapore, Laura Quilter had one of those pinch-me moments.

Lined up against competitors at least 13 years her junior, the 33-year-old was the second-oldest swimmer - and only self-coached female - to compete in the 50-metre butterfly and 50-metre freestyle events.

Gisborne-raised Laura thought she had long-stopped making waves in the international arena. She last wore the silver fern at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, retiring after not making the Rio Olympics in 2016. But after unexpectedly swimming better than ever at a New Zealand Masters Games, the registered nurse decided to make a comeback. It turned out age had brought a new perspective.

“The old dog’s come back,” laughs Laura, chatting from her home on Auckland’s North Shore, which she shares with fiancé Alex Lowen, 33. “When I closed the book on swimming, it felt definitive.

“But I read a quote from American Olympic swimmer Dara Torres, which inspired me: ‘The water doesn’t know how old you are.’ I never thought I’d be back racing. But I’m at a point in my life where swimming or winning isn’t my whole world any more. It’s so different compared to the pressure I felt when I was younger, of not hitting my goals.