Just Do It – Anita Lendvay
What began as a simple suggestion from a friend at Genesis Aquatics transformed into a record-breaking comeback that Anita Lendvay never saw coming.
When Anita first stepped onto the blocks with Masters Swimming Queensland in 2017, she thought she was simply dipping a toe back into a familiar world. What she found was a community that reignited a lifetime of competitive spirit, gave her new friendships across generations, and reminded her why she fell in love with the water in the first place.
An ex-competitive swimmer, Anita was working as a learn-to-swim instructor at Genesis Aquatics when a friend suggested she try the adult squad. “She said, ‘Come and chat to Tony,’” she remembers.
Tony Keogh, who coached the Genesis Adult Squad, became her coach, and Anita’s first meet at Valley Pool surprised her: she won her age group. “I just remember that whole competitive feeling again… I didn’t expect that. I just wanted to get in there and swim,” she says. The victory- unexpected, joyful – sealed her return.
For Anita, Masters swimming is as much about people as it is about performance.
“The friendships, the genuine friendships… they also become part of your family,” she says. She admires teammates decades older, “70-year-olds, 80-year-olds”, and draws inspiration from their longevity: “I hope to be swimming when I’m 80, when I’m 85.”
Those relationships provide emotional support as well as camaraderie. “They can look at you and say, ‘Are you okay?’ and if you say, ‘No, I’m not good at the moment,’ they hug you, they embrace you,” she explains. The club is a place for both celebration and comfort.
Anita’s swimming story is threaded with high-stakes near-misses and triumphant personal comebacks. Early in her career, while competing in New Zealand, she narrowly missed selection for the 1990 Commonwealth Games by 0.01 seconds in the 200m butterfly. “It really hurt,” she admits. That disappointment became part of what drives her.
Years later, in 2024, she set out to break long- and short-course records in the 400 IM for her age group, and she did so. “I was absolutely ecstatic… I was like, ‘wow, I did something that I didn’t know if I could do,’” she recalls, remembering being so exhausted she had to be wheeled into first aid. “It was worth it.”
The sport itself has changed since Anita’s early competitive days. Training load and focus have shifted. “You don’t have to do the extensive kilometres that we used to do in the pool,” she notes as modern swimmers balance much more targeted pool work with strength training. “This change makes swimming more accessible and rewarding for swimmers so that they aren’t burnt out before they even arrive on the blocks.”
For Anita, Masters is “fitness, friendship and fun.” She sets a personal goal every nationals to meet and make at least two new friends every day, an approach that keeps the sport fresh and engaging.
Family figures large in Anita’s swimming life. Her husband, Paul, also swims and is a Masters Swimming Queensland Member who competes in the pool. Both of her sons swam; one, Dominic, left early but still holds local records, while her younger son, Luka, moved into triathlon and now races Jetskis. Recently, for his 18th birthday, Luka joined his mother for a training session and raced her, beating her in two of three events. “It meant the world to me,” Anita says. The moment, a mix of competitive fun and family pride, summed up what the sport has given her.
In a sport that can be measured by seconds and metres, Anita’s lasting measure is human: the friendships kept, the courage shown, and the joy of putting your head down and just keeping on swimming.
Looking toward the future, Anita hopes the next generation carries forward the warmth and openness of sports. Her final call is simple and direct: Don’t think about it, just do it. Go to a Masters Swimming Queensland meet, join a club (and there are many), dive in and just do it!
