Fit at 50 - Merlene Ottey
Sunday, August 1, 2010 at 23:00 | by Darryl Edwards Merlene Ottey
Yesterday, Merlene Ottey made history being the oldest athlete to compete in the European Athletic Championships at 50 years old. She now runs for Slovenia, rather than her native Jamaica - participating with athletes in their prime, less than half her age!
Her chosen role was running the final leg (anchor) of the 4x100m sprint relay. An even more remarkable achievement given it is 30 years since she competed at the 1980 Moscow Olympics winning a bronze medal.
She has clocked a 100m time of 11.50 seconds this year (a second slower than her personal best), looks fantastic at 50 and also wants to compete at the 2012 Olympics in London. Although she is unlikely to be vying for medals in 2012 - I for one will be cheering her on.
"There are no limitations to age. I'll always run. It's the challenge that keeps me going" - Ottey
What an inspiration!
Reader Comments (2)
What a remarkable athlete. An inspiration to us all.
I don't understand why Merlene Ottey isn't featured prominently in the media, fitness and health world. She is amazing. She looks incredible and could be running an empire making a killing. Imagine what she could be teaching women all over the world.