Connny Stamhuis walks on Hot Sands Beach Saturday morning after swimming in Okanagan Lake. A 90-year-old Kelowna woman successfully swam 2.1 kilometers across Okanagan Lake Saturday morning during the 74th annual Across the Lake Swim. It was the sixth time he completed the swim. The long-running event returned to Kelowna on Saturday after a two-year pandemic hiatus. Hundreds of swimmers took to the water at the old ferry docks on the west side of the lake and finished at Kelowna’s Hot Sands Beach in City Park. At the age of 90, Conny Stamhuis has successfully completed the swim once again. “I’m glad I made it!” she said after the bath. “It was great, I was so happy the day came. I thought ‘Finally the day has arrived’, because I was a bit nervous about it. “The end is always difficult if you swim competitively, to get there, but I had come this far, it was just a matter of being able to push on… Everything was with me, I had Lady Luck on my shoulder. the way.” Stamhuis completed the swim in about an hour, which she had planned from the beginning. He received a standing ovation from the crowd when he emerged from the lake at Hot Sands Beach. While the swim itself is an incredible achievement for anyone of any age, Stamhuis was thrilled to raise more than $16,000 for Doctors Without Borders – hitting her goal of $10,000 from the water. He says he still can’t believe he’s grown so much. “It was great, it was beautiful for all these people to be there, but for me, I swam for Doctors Without Borders and for me to raise enough money was the most important thing,” he said. “I’m very, very happy about it.” After retiring as a registered nurse, Stamhuis was accepted to go on a mission with Doctors Without Borders, which helps provide medical aid to those involved in natural disasters and armed conflict. But the trip never ended for Stamhuis, so her fundraising efforts were her way of showing her support. Those who still want to donate can do so here. Stamhuis, who was born in the Netherlands, has been swimming since she was a child, playing water polo growing up. But after she got pregnant and “life happened,” she stopped swimming and didn’t take it up again until she was 65. Stamhuis spent Saturday afternoon relaxing after her long swim, but says her friends are throwing her a party later in the day. “I hope I can pull through, but I’m so excited I think I’ll be OK,” she said.
