Olympian Waddell rediscovers passion for swimming ahead of Pan Pacific Masters Games

More than three decades after stepping away from elite swimming, former Commonwealth Games athlete Angus Waddell is rediscovering the thrill of competition as he prepares to make his Pan Pacific Masters Games debut.

The 62-year-old Brisbane athlete boasts a remarkable sporting resume, having represented Australia in two different sports.

Athletics was his first passion, with Waddell earning selection in the Australian team as a high jumper for the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. An ankle injury the following year brought his jumping career to an end, but it ultimately opened the door to an unlikely second sporting chapter in the pool.

“I was working near the Valley Pool and started doing a bit of swimming,” he said.

“I actually started in Masters because I came to swimming quite late, I was 23. I just fell in love with how good swimming made me feel, joined a squad and started training seriously.”

That journey took him all the way to the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, where he claimed silver behind fellow Australian Andrew Baildon, before he went on to represent Australia at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

After Barcelona, however, competitive swimming took a back seat to work and family life.

Waddell remained active through tennis but with the impact beginning to take a toll on his knees and hips, he returned to the pool around three years ago in his late 1950s.

“I’d forgotten the feeling you get from swimming and the high that comes with it,” he said.

“I’m loving it again. The more racing I do, the more I want to train and get the most out of myself.”

Now a member of The Swim Academy (TSA), Waddell has competed in around six meets over the past three years and is looking forward to testing himself at his first Pan Pacific Masters Games.

His program includes his pet event, the 50m freestyle, as well as the 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle, while he has also nominated for the gruelling 100m butterfly.

“I’m not sure what I was thinking with the 100 fly, that might be a bit too hard,” he joked.

While his competitive instincts remain, Waddell says his Games ambitions aren’t about medals.

“For me, it’s all about PBs,” he said.

“I just want to see if I can keep getting quicker. Over the past few years I’ve been able to chip away and improve a little bit each time, and that’s such a good feeling at my age.

“Whatever result comes from that is a bonus.”