Masters swimmer Maurine “Mighty Mo” Kornfeld celebrated her 100th birthday on Nov. 27th with an early morning swim at the Pacific Park Pool in Glendale, CA. Kornfeld, who was born when Warren G. Harding was president, did not take up serious swimming until she was 60. For the past 40 years, however, “Mighty Mo” has amassed a long list of accomplishments.
Kornfeld’s Masters swimming accomplishments include:
- 16 USMS All-America Honors
- 10 USMS All-Star Honors
- 36 Currently Held USMS Individual Records (64 lifetime)
- 5 Currently Held USMS Relay Records (8 lifetime)
- 20 Currently Held FINA Masters World Records
- Inducted into the Masters International Hall of Fame (2018)
Her 90-94 800 free SCM USMS record has been on the books since 2011, when she swam a 18:38.69. “Mighty Mo” is not limited to distance freestyle, as she currently holds the 95-99 SCY free records from the 50-1000 range. She also holds USMS records in back, fly, and IM.
Kornfeld already holds 10 individual Masters records in the W100-104 age group, along with 6 Masters World Records in the same age group. In Masters swimming, swimmers are aged up on January 1 of each year – in other words, their age for competition is based on their age as of December 31 of any given year, not their actual birthday.
Additionally, she holds 10 Masters world records in the 95-99 age group.
Hi Mo,
So exciting to read about all of your swimming accomplishments, besides having such an important birthday. Biden send you a gilded card? I am Loraine Stinson’s niece that used to visit from San Rafael. Marian found this article and passed it on to me. Congratulations !!
This is the 1st time I’ve ever seen that name so I researched it . It is a misspelling/ mishearing of C19th Irish immigrants Mairin or Maureen & definitely not the French Marine which means of the sea. It peaked in 1917 with 330 girls so our Maurine is also the star of the Golden Age of Maurines.
Further Irish immigrants were more literate & put an end to it . No doubt helped by Maureen O’ hara up there on the screens & newspapers .
Maurine has a nice backstroke which is only possible if we have working shoulders & non broken elbows. I can guess that Maurine declined the roller-skating around LA in the 50s , roller… Read more »
Legend
Mo is the life of the party and I hope we get to enjoy her company for many years to come!
She turned 100 prior to this week. Over the last year at age 100 she has set multiple world records for age 100-104 year old age group.
Masters competition, per FINA standards, counts an athlete’s age based on their age on December 31 of any given year. So, because she turned 100 *at some point in 2021,* she’s considered to be 100 for the whole year by FINA’s regulations. That is why she has so many 100-104 World Records that were set before her 100th birthday.
You da man Braden
Mo’s celebration actually took place at Pacific Park pool in Glendale, CA and was hosted by Silver Peak Performance and Coach Charles McPeak
Just think of this if she lived in California during the early 1960’s and keep the same house it went in value from just 15,000 to over a million. The older you are the more you benefited from California real estate.