Michael Tunnicliffe, 89, won 10 medals at the New Zealand Masters Games this month.
Ten events. Ten medals. Oh, and an 89th birthday.
Feilding's Michael Tunnicliffe had a New Zealand Masters Games to remember earlier this month.
He competed in the 85-89 years age group in the Whanganui-based games against two 85-year-olds and one 86-year-old.
Michael entered freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke events and won five gold medals, four silver and one bronze.
He swam as a child and has been swimming regularly as an adult for 40 years.
"I'm not a fast swimmer."
Asked if he is a good swimmer, there is a pause and then "for my age".
"If I swim next year I will be in the 90-94 age group."
Asked if he will continue swimming competitively, Michael replies: "The good Lord willing, I do hope to."
Backstroke is Michael's best stroke and he is a member of the Makino Masters Swimmers.
He has been swimming in the Masters Games since 1999, when he also competed in dancing and tennis.
He swam in the 2017 World Masters Games in Auckland and won one gold, one silver and two bronze medals.
He used to dance on cruise ships as a gentleman host. He would travel free in return for dancing with ladies without partners.
"Our function was to dance with the ladies who didn't have partners and we weren't allowed to play favourites."
Gentlemen hosts couldn't dance with one lady twice until they had danced with all the ladies once.
Liaisons were forbidden: "If we became involved with a lady we were off at the next port and the ladies knew that so there was no nonsense."
He also provided a male presence at a table during evening meals and acted as a ship's escort on bus tours.
He flew to the United States to audition and that was only his second overseas trip – the first was to Australia.
Michael didn't start dancing until he was 62, attending Shirley Wall's beginner classes.
He was 70 when he became a gentleman host and continued until age 72 when he married Fay.
"That was the end of being a dance host because you couldn't do that when you're married."
However, it wasn't the end of working on cruise ships as he and Fay went together as dance teachers.
Michael says he attributes his good health to good fortune. The father of seven has never smoked or drunk alcohol.
Michael swims three mornings a week. "I usually swim 600m each time."
In his younger days, Michael was a member of the Manawatū Boxing Team and then a boxing trainer.
He has lived in Feilding all his life.
"I can remember when I was an apprentice we still had a carrier who delivered goods from the railway with a horse and dray. He was the last of them so I've seen a lot of change."
Asked what he likes about Feilding, he says "it's home but it's a small friendly town and you've got the city of Palmerston North nearby".
"I wouldn't want to live anywhere else."
The 37-year-old heard a snap and looked down to see her ankle facing the wrong way.