She may not match Usain Bolt’s Olympic time of 9.81 seconds, but Man Kaur is a force to reckon with in the 100-metre event in her age category.
Kaur, who hails from India, travelled all the way to Vancouver to take part in the Americas Masters Games, an event promoting sport participation for people 30 years old and over. She will be taking part in the 100-metre race on Monday.
At 100 years old, Kaur is the oldest female competitor at the Games.
While the 100-metre dash is her signature event, the bespectacled senior also dabbles in shotput and javelin. In fact, she threw a 4.7 metres in the javelin event on Sunday. In contrast, Sara Kolak of Croatia won women’s javelin event at the Summer Olympic Games in Rio earlier this month with a distance of 66.18 metres. Of course, Kolak is just 21 years old.
Kaur’s son Gurdev Singh told Global News his mom started running when she was 93 years old. She first competed in the World Masters event in Sacramento, USA in 2011, where she received two gold medals in the 90+ age group in the 100-metre and 200-metre events.
Himself a track-and-field competitor at 78 years old, Singh got his mom involved in athletics and is very proud of her running time of just over a minute in the 100-metre event.
BELOW: Man Kaur competes in the 100-metre dash at the Americas Masters Games in Vancouver.
Asked about her secret to staying competitive, Kaur has told Indian media she goes for a daily brisk walk, does once-a-week fitness training and follows a strict diet, which includes only home cooked food.
Randy Clegg, a spokesperson for the Americas Masters Games, calls Kaur an inspiration.
“The whole reason for this event is to encourage sport for life and when you see someone like Man Kaur competing at 100 years old, it’s truly inspirational,” says Clegg. “In our event, you qualify just by being over 30, but we accept everybody right up to the 100-year-old category. Our average age is about 49, so it’s nice to see athletes from all skill levels and ages competing.”
The first Americas Masters Games kicked off on Friday and will go on until Sept.4, featuring 5,000 athletes representing 50 countries.
The event has athletes from all the different age groups competing in 24 sports from archery to volleyball, with events held at multiple venues around Vancouver.
WATCH: Thousands of athletes from around the world are in Vancouver for the Americas Masters Games, helping to prove that you’re never too old to do sports.
Comments