Watch CBS News

Swimming Champion 'Mighty Mo' Maurine Kornfeld Celebrates Her 100th Birthday

GLENDALE (CBSLA) — A swimming champion known as "Mighty Mo" celebrated a milestone not too many of her fellow swimmers can claim – her 100th birthday.

Maurine Kornfeld Master swimmer turned 100. Her teams at The Rose Bowl Aquatics center celebrate her.
PASADENA, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Maurine Kornfeld, 100, is getting into the pool for the 6:30am Masters swim practice at Rose Bowl Aquatics Center on Saturday, Nov. 0, 27, 2021 in Pasadena, CA. Maurine, known to her team as "Mo" just turned 100 and her team is celebrating. Kornfield is a real inspiration for her swimteam and her team is commemorating her 100th birthday. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Maurine Kornfeld arrived at the Glendale pool where she still swims nearly every weekday to find a small party complete with a racy cake and a whale-shaped piñata. Her fellow swimmers sang "Happy Birthday" to her from the pool.

"It's so nice to have young people as friends, and what they're doing – it's delightful," she said.

Kornfeld only started swimming seriously at 65, but since then, she's become a legend – she has 14 world championships to her name and has set 28 records. She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 2018.

The swimming sensation says if she had any words of inspiration for anyone, it's to "just enjoy life."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.