A 105-year-old woman said she was disappointed after she won the 100-metre sprint world record for her age group because she wishes she had done it even faster.
Julia ‘Hurricane’ Hawkins became the first female track and field athlete to set a world record in the 100-metre dash over 105’s group at the 2021 Louisiana Senior Games competition in Hammon, Louisiana, on Saturday 6 November, when she dashed over the finishing line in just 62.95 seconds.
But rather than basking in glory, Hawkins has since chastised herself.
“It was wonderful to see so many family members and friends,” she told Growing Bolder.
“But I wanted to do it in less than a minute.”
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Saying others should just ‘stay healthy and keep running’, Hawkins added: “I’m going to keep running as long as I can. I find it fun and I like doing it.”
The retired teacher started competing at the National Senior Games when she was 80, and adding sprinting to her repertoire when she was 100.
Speaking to USA Today Hawkins explained: “When I started running, I found it was a pleasure. I enjoyed doing it.
“So it was a new challenge, and I took to it like a duck to water.
“I felt that would be a neat challenge to run the 100 [metre] dash, at 100, in under a minute.”
Hawkins stays active by walking or jogging about a mile or two each day.
Hawkins continued: “The older you get, the more passions you ought to have... Keeping active is one of my most important passions.
“I keep thinking, ‘Why am I left here?’ Why haven’t I been called by now?’
“People say that they want to be just like me when they grow up... And I think if I can please people and give them hope, then it’s worth living longer.”
Pretty impressive stuff.
