94 Year old Bhagwani Devi Dagar bags gold at World maters athletics championships in Finland

Mangalore Today News Network / News18

New Delhi, July 11, 2022: Bhagwani Devi, a 94-year-old athlete ensured that the Indian flag was hoisted high up at Tampere, Finland as she clinched the gold medal in the 100m sprint race.

 

The nonagenarian athlete completed the distance in 24.74 seconds to cross the line before anyone could.
She also earned a bronze medal for the county in the shot put event.

 

94-year-old Bhagwani Devi Dagar won a gold and 2 bronze for India at the World Masters Athletics championships 2022 in Finland, yesterday pic.twitter.com/JRPZrBDSAK

— ANI (@ANI) July 11, 2022

Bhagwani Devi had won three gold medals at the National Masters Athletics Championships in Chennai and had thus earned the right to represent India at the World Masters Athletics Championships.

And prior to the event in Chennai, she had bagged three gold medals at the Delhi State Athletic Championships in the 100m dash, javelin throw and shot put events.

The World Masters Athletics Championships is a meet for athletes above the age of 35. The competition categorizes the participants into an age band of 5 years.

Another veteran athlete from India, a former MLA from the state of Kerala, M.J Jacob clinched two bronze medals at the World Masters Athletics Championships as well.

The senior CPM party leader from Piravom bagged his medals in the 200m hurdles and 80m hurdles events in the M80 category, held for athletes between 80 years of age and 84 years of age.

Jacob had also won the gold medallist in the 200m and 80m hurdles at the Kerala State Masters Athletics which was held earlier in the year. The 82-year-old had also clinched the gold medal at the Asian Masters Athletics Championships.

Achieving such brilliant athletic feats at such advanced age goes to show that age is no bar as long as the individuals train diligently, maintain a healthy lifestyle, exercise regularly and do not stray from their fitness routines.