Pushed by his two sons in training, Auburn’s Brad Swartz was more than prepared to compete with a purpose on the world stage.

A quicker, stronger and determined Swartz recently captured his third world freestyle title at the FILA Veterans World Wrestling Championships in Ankara, Turkey.

Swartz, competing in his masters category at 167.5 pounds, turned back Iran’s Amin Keshavarzi, 1-0, in the third and final round to capture the gold. It was Keshavarzi who defeated Swartz in last year’s world matches.

Keshavarzi took the first two-minute round, but Swartz outlasted the Iranian in each of the next two rounds by 1-0 decisions.

“I had the tournament of my life,” said Swartz, the 49-year-old co-owner, CEO and president of Vision Quest Sports and Fitness. “It was absolutely the best experience of my life. I believe at my age, I’m in the best shape of my life.”

Swartz won all four of his matches during a grueling full day of wrestling, a tournament that spanned 12 hours on Aug. 15. To reach the final, Swartz handled the 2007 and ’08 world champions.

It was his third gold in nine world outings. He also has two silvers, a bronze and a fourth-place effort.

“I was committed to come home with the gold … three-peat before I turned 50,” Swartz said. “I was committed, having trained much harder than the last two years to make sure I didn’t come up short a third year in a row.”

This time, it was even more special for Swartz. He shared the crown with his sons, Curt and Jake, both Boise State University wrestlers and sparring partners in training. Kurt, a former Auburn High wrestler and two-time state champion, accompanied his father to Turkey.

Kurt and Jake, another former Trojan great and three-time state champion, trained their father throughout an intense, 90-day period prior to the matches.

Kirk White, a Boise State assistant, provided additional coaching and training assistance.

“I lost about 36 pounds to get (here),” Brad Swartz said. “I was excited about sharing the moment with them. I came prepared, the best prepared I’ve been (for the world championships). I was the most prepared with my two sons pounding on me.

“I basically wanted to be an inspiration to (Kurt),” he added. “I wanted to show him my work ethic … that if I can do it at 49, he can do it at 22.”

Kurt Swartz, a top Pac-10 performer, is returning to the Broncos this fall as a junior. His brother will enter camp as a heralded freshman.

It has been a good summer for the family. Jake Swartz won a prestigious junior national freestyle tournament in North Dakota.

Brad Swartz intends to return and defend his age-group title in the USA National Championships in Las Vegas next April. Brad and Jake each won national titles there last spring, becoming the first father-son combination to pull off the feat.