Sports
Mother-Son Gold-Medal Champions:
She's 95, He's 73
TIMES OF INDIA
They defy age and have proved that barriers exist only in the mind.
Meet mother-son duo of Mann Kaur (95) and Gurdev Singh (73), whose stamina, speed and skill would make even the great sprinter Usain Bolt marvel.
Mann Kaur, who hails from Chandigarh, Punjab, has raced her way to glory in many
championships with training from her son Gurdev Singh, who lives in Canada and is also an extraordinary runner.
Mann Kaur won a gold medal each in 100m and 200m in the World Masters Athletic Championship in Sacramento, California, held July 6-17, 2011. But her foray into athletics came after much persuasion from Gurdev Singh.
Three years ago, the son managed to field her mother in the 32nd
National Masters Athletics Championship in Chandigarh. Reluctant Mann
Kaur was in no mood to take up the challenge but eventually did so to please
Gurdev Singh.
Interestingly, she went on to win the gold and eventually qualified for the world championship, where she bagged two more gold medals. What's more, she clocked 50 seconds in the 100m dash. An unparallel feat!
Gurdev Singh, who guides her mom, boasts of clocking 14.9 seconds in the 100m, something which is incredible for his age. The Sikh-Canadian participates in 100m, 200m and long jump events.
Gurdev Singh was inspired when he saw a 90-year-old athlete participating in the world championships in Canada in 2008. The next thought that came to his mind was of his mother.
"But I did not expect that she would go so far," he admitted.
July 24, 2011
Conversation about this article
1: Jasbir Kaur (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada), July 24, 2011, 10:09 AM.
And, pray, where are the children, the grand-children and the great grand-children? Out running on Sunday morning, I hope.
2: Gurdev Singh (Canada), August 17, 2011, 12:57 PM.
She holds the WMA records in both 100 and 200 events. And a correction, please: she finished 100M in 1.1 min. She is currently in Toronto till the 6th of Sept.