- A 105-year-old sprinter broke the 100 meter world record, but was disappointed she did not break it by more.
- Julie Hawkins, nicknamed Hurricane, ran 100 meters in 62.95 seconds, the fastest ever for a woman over 105.
A 105-year-old woman broke the world record for the 100 meter sprint in her age category, but instead of being happy with her achievement, she was annoyed not to have broken it by more.
Julie Hawkins, nicknamed Hurricane, was taking part in the Louisiana Senior Games on Sunday when she recorded a time of 62.95 seconds.
In running that time, Hawkins, who only took up sprinting at the age of 100, broke the record for the women over-105 category.
She was, however, disappointed she had not completed the race in under a minute.
"It was wonderful to see so many family members and friends. But I wanted to do it in less than a minute," she said, as reported by the Guardian.
Someone then pointed out that she had run the race quicker than her age, but Hawkins replied that knowing this did not make her feel better.
Before switching to running, the retired teacher competed in the National Senior Games. She won several gold medals competing in cycling time trials, the Guardian reports.
She stopped cycling as she said "there wasn't anyone left my age to compete with."
Hawkins said she loves to run and being an inspiration to others.
"I want to keep running as long as I can," Hawkins said after the race.
"My message to others is that you have to stay active if you want to be healthy and happy as you age."
It is not the first time Hawkins has been a record breaker. In 2017, she set the 100 meter world record for women over the age of 100 with a time of 39:62.
That record was broken in September 2021.
After losing her over-100 record, Hawkins decided to compete in a new age category, and almost immediately took the record.