AGE IS JUST A NUMBER - AND WE HAVE PROOF!
Meet the man defeating opponents half his age
Meet Olivier Delfosse, one of our recent winners in UltraSwim 33.3 #3Croatia... After impressing swimmers and organisers alike, we reached out to Olivier to discover his secrets.
We had the privilege of speaking with Olivier Delfosse, UltraSwim 33.3 competitor and open water swimmer from Belgium who recently finished first at #3Croatia back in May in the Men’s Skins category.
At UltraSwim 33.3, we mean it when we say ‘every finisher is a winner’ because everyone’s journey and ambition is different and we pride ourselves on being as inclusive as possible. However, each event is still a race for those that care, and for every race, there must be a winner.
At the age of 60, it was on the island of Hvar that Olivier blew us all out of the water beating participants easily half his age and younger… so we just had to know - how does he do it?!
In this newsletter, Olivier shares his insights on recent races, training regimes, and personal tips for maintaining and improving performance.
Q: Olivier, let’s start with why you were drawn to compete in UltraSwim 33.3?
I was attracted to UltraSwim 33.3 for several reasons. Firstly, there’s nothing much out there like it, with its multi-day format of 33.3 kilometres spread over 4 days. Maintaining focus for that entire time, trying to win each day - it’s tough! I have swum 33.3km in a single day before, but spreading it out over multiple days is entirely different, and I'm still unsure which is harder!
Additionally, I chose to compete in the skins category because I'm on a waiting list for a double crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar without a wetsuit. UltraSwim 33.3 #3Croatia was a perfect opportunity to test my ability to swim without a wetsuit in water temperatures of 18-20 degrees Celsius.
“I have swum 33.3km in a single day before, but spreading it out over multiple days is entirely different, and I’m still unsure which is harder!”
Q: How does your swimming speed now compare to when you were 20 and when you were 40?
It’s difficult to compare as I primarily raced in pools during my 20s to 40s. My best times were 1:57 for the 200m freestyle and 2:13 for the 200m medley, with a 100m freestyle in 55 seconds. At 46, I swam the 200m freestyle in 2 minutes flat, ranking 7th globally in the 45-50 category for 2009.
After a skiing accident in 2009, I shifted to open water swimming. For a while after the accident, I continued to compete in short pool races however, despite finishing second on a couple of races in the 2013 European Master Championship, I didn’t feel good, and I knew I had to switch things up, to something less painful on my heart and lungs. That’s when I began to explore open water swimming.
Things are totally different now, these days in training, I aim to swim 4km in an hour in the pool with my beach shorts on and 4.7-5 km/hour during races, especially with a wetsuit. Open water swimming has many variables like buoys, waves, wind, and currents that affect my speed though!
Q: How much do you swim each week (hours and distance)?
I plan my next season in November, aiming for four races per year which I like to switch up. Preparation for a race takes about four months. I swim in the pool five days a week, covering 5-6km in about 1.5 hours. For a 30k race, I swim 43-45km weekly, with three 10k training sessions (2.5-2.75 hours each). My training intensity varies in three-week cycles: one cool, one medium, and one hard week, repeating the cycle.
Q: How do you split your training between the pool and open water?
I always train alone in a 25m pool and use open water races as part of my training. Since open water training is not that feasible in my country, I prefer pool training for its rhythm, speed, distance knowledge, and technique. I actually haven’t had a coach since 1987.
Q: How much of your training time do you dedicate to working on technique?
I constantly focus on my technique during training, paying attention to my fingers, hand, elbow position, body position, and breathing. I never think about anything else or listen to music - this is my time to switch off and my problems just fade away. Sometimes, I use technical exercises like one-arm drills, which are very important.
Q: What is your favourite training session?
Surprisingly, my favourite training session is when I go to the gym for bodybuilding and stretching. It feels like a holiday.
Q: What (if any) other training do you do? (e.g., yoga, running, weights, etc.)
I go to the gym twice weekly for stretching and bodybuilding, specifically tailored for swimmers. At the start of the season, I also do some cycling to boost my lungs and heart.
Olivier’s top tips:
Maintain a healthy lifestyle with good food, 8-9 hours of sleep, no smoking, and minimal alcohol.
Have an annual check-up with a cardiologist, including an ultrasound and stress test on a bike.
Begin every training session with a 10-15 minute dry warm-up for shoulders, ankles, neck, and elbows.
Stretch your shoulders during training.
Ensure you feel tired after each session; train hard to race comfortably.
Use supplements wisely, including amino acids, BCAAs, vitamins, carbohydrates, curcumin, and chondroitin for joints.
Avoid training if you’ve had an argument or feel too tired or unwell. Rest is also a crucial part of training.
Q: As well as being the fastest non-wetsuit swimmer at UltraSwim 33.3 Croatia earlier this year, what other open water races have you won recently?
This year, after UltraSwim 33.3 #3Croatia, I won the overall title at a 5k race in Ibiza (Copa di Espagna) out of 147 swimmers, finishing in 1 hour and 7 minutes with a wetsuit. I also placed 9th overall out of 141 in the Oceanman Lago d’Orta in Italy (8k, wetsuit) and took first place overall out of 81 swimmers in the 5k Open Swim Star Harmonie Mutuelle in La Baule, France, with a time of 1 hour 8 minutes (wetsuit).
Last year was great. I secured second place overall at the Oceanman Costa Azahar (Spain) 10k with a time of 2 hours 8 minutes (wetsuit), finishing just 4 seconds behind Bertrand Venturi. I also competed in the Flow des Gabarriers near Cognac, France, where I finished 3rd overall out of 34 swimmers in the 33k race, clocking 6 hours 45 minutes (wetsuit). Additionally, I set my personal best at the Oceanman Lago d’Orta (Italy) 14k with a time of 3 hours 2 minutes, placing 4th overall out of 179. In fact, the three guys ahead of me were ages 32, 20, and 24 respectively! In the Ultraebre (Spain) 31k skin swim, I finished second out of 38 swimmers, 12 minutes faster than the previous year, with a time of 5 hours 15 minutes. Again, the guy who finished ahead of me here was only 28 years old and he finished 4 minutes ahead of me!
