At 101, Man Kaur wins 100m gold at World Masters Games

Amazing 101 year old completing the 100m @WMG2017 #WMG2017 pic.twitter.com/wUEcPHThv0

— Wɐʎuǝ Qnǝpןǝʎ (@UUJQ) 23 April 2017

While Man Kaur won her 17th international gold medal on Monday, it was at the insistence of her 79-year-old son Gurdev Singh that she started running at the age of 93. Initially a 100 M runner, Kaur won her first medal in 2007 at the Chandigarh Masters Athletics meet before winning the gold in 100 M as well as 200 M in National Masters Athletics meet in 2011. The same year Kaur won gold medals in 100 M and 200 M in the World Masters Championships in Sacremanto, USA where she was also adjudged the best athlete.

Kaur’s husband Ranjeet Singh died at the age of 102 years in 2010. “Initially we would be surprised to see her accompanying our uncle Gurdev Singh to the running track at Punjab University grounds. As youngsters, we could not wake up early and she would sometimes take us along. Spending time in Canada, where our uncle resides, has also helped her health and when she won the gold medal in American Masters Games in Vancouver with a time of one minute and 21 seconds, a lot of Canadian athletes came and met her. When she returns with the medal, I will ask her to accompany me to my college as it will also inspire them.” said 24-year-old Harpreet Kaur, grand-daughter of Man Kaur.

With son Gurdev Singh also a runner, the mother-son duo train together and while Singh makes sure that they eat chapatis made of wheat grains and chickpea sprouts, Kaur’s diet also includes Russian fermented milk kefir.

“In Canada, a friend gave them kefir brought from Russia. Perhaps that’s the secret of their energy. She has been training at Patiala for the last six months and she would also tell students to train like her and train with her. She was very excited about spending time at the University as she never got a chance to study in a university but this training stint helped her to spend time with coaches and students,” said 57-year-old masters athlete Ravinder Singh Bhatia, a close associate of Gurdev Singh.

And as Kaur, who was the only athlete in the 100 + category, gets ready to compete in the 200 m, shot put and javelin throw events in Auckland which is seeing more than 25,000 competitors, she had these words to say.

“I am feeling good. Sare baithe hain and all the participants are like my sons and daughters here. Bahut khushi ho rahi hai. I see running as work and I still make chapatis at home and running is like that for me. Jab tak zindagi hai daudungi aur medals jeetungi,” said Man Kaur as she received her medal from Sergei Bubka.