IT WASN'T quite Olympic gold, but it was better than the bronze predicted by her grandson, Jackson.

Our original golden girl of the pool, Dawn Fraser, swimming competitively for the first time in 20 years, won a silver medal at the Alice Springs Masters Games yesterday, clocking 48.25 seconds for the 50metres freestyle … aged 71.

Fraser, who won four gold and four silver medals over three Olympics (1956-60-64), decided earlier this year to swim at the event after a report indicated that Australia is now the most obese population in the world, with many of those aged over 55. She said she wanted to use the Games as an opportunity to demonstrate it's not too late for anyone to exercise, and she proved that yesterday.

"I'm really pleased with my time," she said. "My goal was to break 50 seconds.

"I feel great, and I am really proud that my grandson, Jackson, was on the sideline cheering me on. I could hear him from the starting block and it gave me a real boost.

"When I asked Jackson this morning how he thought I would go, he said, 'Bronze'. I did better than he predicted."

Fraser, who created history when she became the first swimmer - male or female - to win the same event at three successive Olympics when she took out the 100m freestyle in Melbourne, Rome and Tokyo, will chase more gold when she swims in medley and freestyle relays later in the week.

"I'm looking forward to the relay races on Thursday," she said. "I think I may go a little faster because I enjoy the team focus that relays offer, swimming with a team is a great experience."

Victorian Barbara Wilson-Brooks has a great story to tell her family and friends: she was the gold medal winner in a time or 47.59s, and can legitimately claim she has beaten Dawn Fraser in a freestyle race over 50m.