Barry Young (NZL)

Honor Masters Swimmer (2010)

The information on this page was written the year of their induction.

INTERNATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS (SWIMMER): World Points – 692, Pre-World points – 0, Total Points – 692; Since 1984, he has competed in six age groups (45-49 through 70-74); 43 FINA Masters World Records. As a teen, this masters swimmer was a member of the South African national swimming squad but had to give up his dreams of swimming greatness when he enlisted in the merchant navy. Little did he know he would MORE than make up for it later down the road!

After retiring from the merchant navy, Barry Young moved to New Zealand, where he began teaching at the New Zealand Maritime School. One day he was talked into swimming on his lunch hour and later into competing in Masters meets. As Barry says, “After that, I was hooked!” In1984, he broke his first world record at the first International Masters Swimming Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand at the age of 45.

Barry competes in all four strokes but primarily in backstroke and the individual medley. He has set 43 FINA Masters World Records, 31 long course and 12 short course records from 1984 to the present day.

Barry says Masters swimming gives him the means to continue swimming, thus maintaining his fitness level, on a daily basis. His local club, the North Shore Masters Swimming Club, encourages him to swim with the people in his community. On a National level, Masters Swimming New Zealand organizes competitions around New Zealand and encourages Barry to set goals and targets. Finally, on an international level, FINA Masters and the World Masters Games encourage him to travel overseas and compete and meet people from other countries who have the same passion for swimming as he does.

Beginning with the World Ranking system in 1986, Barry has achieved a total of 36 number ones, 18 number twos and 15 number three total world rankings. Swimming World magazine named Barry in the world top six male Masters swimmers in 2004 and again in 2009. The New Zealand Masters Swimmers named him ‘Swimmer of the Year’ in 2009.