Might help India get over the disappointment of Rio Games.
A 100-year-old Indian athlete has won three gold medals at the Americas Masters Games in Vancouver, Canada.
After winning two gold medals in shot put and javelin, 100-year-old Mann Kaur finished a 100-meter race in a minute and 27 seconds. The crowd cheered and applauded while she approached the finish line.
Born and brought up in Chandigarh, Kaur is a trained runner who entered the world of athletics when she was 93. She was the only woman participant in her age category. She received encouragement from her son Gurdev Singh to start running at the age of 93.
“It is special at this age,” Singh told CTV Vancouver. “She’s very famous in India… She’s amazing,” he added.
“When she wins, she goes back to India, and she’s excited to tell others, ‘I have won so many medals from this country’. Winning makes her happy,” Singh told AP.
The 78-year-old Singh had also participated at the 9-day event for competitors over the age of 30.
Many athletes who participated in the tournament were inspired by the performance of Kaur.
“It’s fabulous to think maybe at 100 I’ll still be out here on the track doing something,” Marie Johnson, a runner in her 60s, told CTV News.
Singh said Kaur only eats home cooked meals and avoids fried food. Along with the diet, lots of exercise keeps her fit at this age.
Kaur has won more than 20 medals in Masters Games across the globe.