Mieko Nagaoka

was a Japanese Masters athlete. She was the first 100-year-old to complete a 1,500m freestyle swim in a 25m pool. At the age of 106, she was Japan's oldest active swimmer.

Early life Mieko Nagaoka was born on 31 July 1914 in Yamaguchi, Japan just days after the start of World War I. She started swimming at 80 years old to recover from a knee injury. In the beginning, Nagaoka didn't know how to swim. She used to go in to the swimming pool to do exercises for her knee. At 82, she started to learn how to swim on her own. And because she performed in a Noh (a classical Japanese dancing drama) this was also an incentive for her to learn how to swim so that she could stay in shape for the plays.

In 2015 she became the first 100-year-old to complete a 1,500m freestyle swim in a 25m pool. She completed the feat in just over 1 hour and 15 minutes, using backstroke all the way.

Personal life Nagaoka latterly lived alone in Tabuse, Yamaguchi, Japan. After turning 100 in July 2014, she released a book entitled: I'm 100 years old and the world's best active swimmer.