102-year-old Mann Kaur wins gold for India at the World Masters Athletics
If there's a will there's a way and Mann Kaur has surely proved this. The 102-year-old female athlete from Patiala, Punjab bagged gold for India recently at the World Masters Athletics Championship held in Malaga, Spain.
The World Masters Athletics Championships is an Olympic version of events organised for the senior citizens. The championship involves events like track and field, cross country and road running events for athletes above the age of 35 years.
Mann Kaur made India proud by winning the 200m race in the 100-104 age group category for the second time. She clinched the gold by winning the race in 3 minutes and 14.65 seconds.
She had finished first in the 100 m race at the 2017 Masters in Auckland in one minute and fourteen seconds.
She has also become the oldest women athlete in India to win this title. Prior to her international debut, she won her first medal at the Chandigarh Masters Athletic Meet in 2007.
It was her 79-year-old son Guru Dev Singh who motivated her at the age of 93 to take up the sport. Guru Dev Singh is also a participant in the World Masters. Initially, Gurudev made sure his mother was physically fit for the international event, says The Better India.
Also known as the 'Miracle from Chandigarh', it isn't her first gold at the world championships. Mann had put herself on the global map when she won gold at the World Master Championships in the USA in 2011 in the 100m and 200m event, as reported by The Indian Express.
Apart from running, Mann also tried her hands in javelin throw and shot put at the 2017 World Masters Games. Now, Mann has set her eyes on the World Masters 2020, which will be held in Japan.
In an interview with The Better India, actor, model and fitness expert Milind Soman said,
Mann Kaur is one of the most inspiring people I have ever met. As Pinkathon mascot and Ambassador, she has traveled with us across the country, telling thousands of women the secret to a mentally and physically healthy life. She has become a symbol of aspiration and hope for all who hear of her stupendous achievements.
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