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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Tom Lutz in New York

‘I don’t run to be second’: WW2 veteran smashes centenarian 100m world record

Lester Wright said he may return to compete in the 100m in 2023
Lester Wright said he may return to compete in the 100m in 2023. Photograph: FloTrack/YouTube

Nearly a quarter of a century after breaking one sprinting world record as a mere 76-year-old, Lester Wright was back in form again on Saturday as he set the official 100m world record for centenarians.

Wright was competing at the Penn Relays, America’s oldest track and field meet, when he surged over the line in a time of 26.34 seconds, breaking Donald Pellmann’s mark of 26.99 set in 2015. Britain’s Fauja Singh set an unofficial 100m world record for the age group in 2011 with a time of 23.40.

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