There’s no slowing down for Man Kaur, even at 102 years old. The track and field athlete from India just added another medal to her impressive collection by picking up a win in her age group in the 200-meter dash at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Malaga, Spain.
She clocked a time of 3 minutes and 14 seconds. Who would have thought that after winning gold in the 100-meter race at the World Masters Games in Aukland, New Zealand last year at 101, she could follow that up with another stunning performance on the track?
Kaur didn’t start running until she was 93 and her 71-year-old son, Gurdev Singh, convinced her to take up track and field in order to help his mother stay healthy, according to NPR.
“She was very well, with no health problems, and she moved fast,” he said. “So I took her to the university track with me and asked her to run 400 meters. She did it, slowly, and I thought ‘Yes, She can do it.'”
LOOK AT THAT SMILE !!! Man Kaur from India wins the 200m GOLD in the World Masters Athletics #WMAMalaga2018. Age group 100- 104 years!!
What a privilege for every person in the world to see her in action and to share her joy 😊😊#PinkathonFOREVER pic.twitter.com/hDvWc3EVVf— Milind Usha Soman (@milindrunning) September 11, 2018
Now almost a decade later, she has more than 30 gold medals to her name in large part because she takes her training as seriously as any athlete.
Kaur reportedly wakes up at 4:00 a.m. each day to say her prayers, do chores and make tea before heading to the track for an hour of running distances between 30 meters and 200 meters. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, she hits the gym for a weightlifting session. And, it’s all paid off for the grandmother of nine and the great-grandmother of 14. In fact, she has her sights set on the 2020 Masters games in Japan.
“I will continue to run and take part in competitions as long as I can. It gives me a lot of happiness when I run,” Kaur told the Press Trust of India. “I believe that age is no bar to chase and realize your dreams.”
Athlete or not, those are words to live by.