It was a warm afternoon on the first day (10th March 2016) of the 36th National Masters Athletic Championship, at the Guru Gobind Singh Sports College Ground in Lucknow. For those unaware about ‘Masters’, it’s another word for ‘veterans’, with veteran defined as over the age of 30. At this championship,track and field events were held for men and women in 5-year age-groups (30+, 35+, 40+… 85+).
Post-lunch, the track was scheduled to see the 100m run for men and women for some of the age-group categories. Many of us who had no event just hung around at the ground to see the fastest oldies in action.
As the 85+ men dashed off, someone in the crowd mentioned that a 118-year old man was in the line up. He had taken part in some marathons as well. Seriously!? I was aware that Holocaust survivor Yisrael Kristal was supposed to be the oldest living man at 112. Anyhow, 118 or whatever, sprinting in one’s old age is phenomenal. I ran to the finish line to check out the old man. He was the lanky one with the turban… the one in a 6-feet something wiry body frame that served as a perfect hanger for his yellow T-shirt.
arathimy 
You must be logged in to post a comment.