A 99-year-old woman has set a record at the Gay Games in Ohio, becoming the oldest participant in the 100m race.
Ida Keeling, a great grandmother who is just 4ft 6", took part in the event at the Lee Jackson Field at the University of Akron.
She finished the race in 59.80 seconds and even though she came in last place, she said: "I feel I'm still a winner."
Keeling, from New York, was trained by her daughter Shelly Keeling, 59, who had told her to stay in her lane and just to focus on the finish line. Speaking before the race, she told newsnet5 Cleveland: "My doctor told me two years straight I'm as healthy as a healthy 20-year-old. Hooray!"
Her daughter said no 99-year-old woman had ever run a faster time in an internationally certified 100m race: "She does not only inspire people that are young or that are out here. It's a message that you can do this at any age."
Keeling said she plans to set a new record next year after she turns 100 in May.
She began running at the age of 67 to cope with the loss of her two sons, who were both murdered within just three years.
According to ESPN, her son Charles had started taking drugs while in the Navy. He got involved in the Harlem drug scene to make money, but was brutally murdered. Donald, her other son, was killed in a similar situation a few years later.
Speaking about her first race after their deaths earlier this year, she said: "Everybody was going so fast, I felt like a little tugboat. I felt like every step I made, every bit of flesh that wasn't stuck to my bones was moving. It was terrible! But I came back from the run and I felt so different. I felt uplifted. I felt free. My mind wasn't on my troubles."
Explaining her routine now, she added: "I try to do everything for about an hour unless I'm tired, because I'm no spring chicken, honey. That's why I like the sprint -- I go as fast as I can and get it over with and feel good about myself."
0 comments:
Post a Comment