"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
24 Apr 2017
There was no stopping for 101 year old Man Kaur as she won the 100 metres sprint at the World Masters Games in Auckland on Monday. Although her career bloomed late , this win has earned her, her 17th gold medal.
The World Masters Games is the largest international multi-sport event held every four years. It is open to sports people of all abilities and most ages. Anyone can participate in the games so long as they are over the age of 35 though some sports will allow athletes who are younger than that. Participants compete for themselves – there are no country delegations.
Kaur clocked one minute 14 seconds as a small crowd cheered her on. The diminutive centenarian seemed to enjoy her run as she beamed at the spectators happily while nearing the finishing line. In fact, she was guaranteed victory as she was the only participant in the 100 years and over category. The New Zealand media dubbed her the "miracle from Chandigarh".
Kaur took up athletics at the tender age of 93. She already has more than a dozen golden medals and plans to compete in the 200m sprint, two kilogramme shot put and 400-gram javelin in Auckland, which will taking her medal tally to 20.
There are 25,000 competitors at this event held in New Zealand. World Masters Games 2017 chief executive Jennah Wootten said the Auckland organisers were delighted to host such an inspiration.