Funny Nature & Travel Art & Stage Going Viral Science Greetings Inspirational

Edit Profile Recently Viewed Favorites

Main > Health & Lifestyle > Sports

9 Senior Sporting Heroes

Edited By: Tony A.

Font Size:

A+ A-

I don’t care how old you are; these senior citizens are the most inspiring sporting heroes out there. Whenever some know-it-all said to them they were a bit old to keep doing this or that, have gone way past their sell by date, or they were just too completely over the hill to take up any arduous new challenge, do you know what they did? They ignored them. They just went away and did it.

Watch our rundown of the world’s most incredible veteran superstars. While taking from them the inspirational exhortation carpe diem, follow their uplifting lead and enjoy 'this sporting life'.

Click here to play all videos

1. Ida Keeling (100) - Sprinter

Click to watch

Ida Keeling is a superb 100-year-old inspiration. Having suffered the tragic loss of her 2 sons to drug violence she took up running late in her sixties to combat her depression. Now Ida is an exuberant and merry athlete. Who knew such pain could be healed by the power of sport and competition?

2. Paddy Jones (81) - Salsa Star

Click to watch

Paddy Jones is an 81-year-old salsa dancer who took classes in the art after her retired husband passed-away when she was nearly 70. Six years later she - and her much younger dancing partner - actually won the Spanish version of America’s Got Talent. Here she is performing as Paddy and Nico in 2014.

3. Charles Eugster (95) - Bodybuilder

Click to watch

Charles Eugster is a 95-year-old bodybuilder who took up weights when he was 87. Amazingly, as a young man he was unusually slow and not very athletic. According to him, ageing is the most wonderful and important thing that can happen to us, because 'if we don’t age we are in our grave’. How true!

4. Olga Kotelko (95) - Decathlete

Click to watch

Olga Kotelko is a 95-year-old who is so keen on pushing herself that she has earned an astonishing 750 gold medals and set over 30 world records. She wants to keep going until she drops. Now I feel encouraged to do the same, thanks, Olga!

5. Lisa Modlich (88) - Ping-Pong Player

Click to watch

Lisa Modlich is a mercurial 88-year-old ping pong champion, who only took up the indoor sport in her late sixties to escape the sunshine! For her, life is about the thrill of victory, not only bettering one’s enemies but setting a goal and achieving it. Sport provides a greater high than drugs or alcohol, she says.

6. John Lowe (94) - Ballet Dancer

Click to watch

John Lowe is a sensational 94-year-old ballet dancer, who first began to don his tights aged 80. He puts his extraordinary determination down to his terrible suffering during the war as a Japanese POW. Then, he lost 6 years of his life, but he is keen on making it up now.

7. Robert Marchand (103) - Cyclist

Click to watch

Robert Marchand is a 103-year-old French cyclist, who only took up cycling at 67. At 89 he cycled the 380 mile Bordeaux to Paris race in 36 hours. He jokes: "With doping I could have ridden faster, but there is no doping. I only have water with some honey in my bottle here." I will have to try that!

8. Fauja Singh (101) - Maranthon Runner

Click to watch

Fauja Singh is a 101-year-old marathon runner, who took up the grueling sport at 89 to combat the depression of losing his family. Until age 101 he traveled all around the world to compete with the very best and raise thousands of dollars for charity.

9. Hilda Jamieson (102) - Skier

Hilda Jamieson was skiing past her 100th birthday, retiring recently at 102. She has been an inspiration to her family her whole life. But she never set out to inspire, she just loves the excitement of traipsing up steep snowy mountains for hours only to hurtle down at incredible speeds. For her it is just exhilarating and has filled her days with such intense thrills.

Like Next Post Send Share WhatsApp

Copy Link

Did you mean:

Continue With: Facebook Google

By continuing, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy

Report copyright infringement

Print this content

You may also like:

Sports

SLAM DUNK: This is Basketball at Its Incredible Best!

24:44

Are These the Best Slam Dunks in Basketball History?

Take a look at the 100 all-time best slam dunks from NBA history.

Health

There’s No Age Limit to Start Strength Building Exercises

There’s a misconception that muscle building is dangerous or ineffective for older adults, but this new recent study busts that myth

Sports

Video Compilation: People Doing Amazing Things!

3:12

These People Are Amazing... Don't Try This at Home!

This video brings you once again the limitless potential of the human body, as these people do some extraordinary things!

Sports

8 Great Exercises You Can Do in The Office Too!

No More Excuses: 8 Exercises You Can Do at Your Desk!

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, staying fit is just a dream for most, but not anymore with these 8 easy workouts you can do at your desk!

Health

The 7 Most Inspiring, Fit Women (Aged 66-97) You Will Find

These inspiring women teach us that no matter how old you are, it is never too late to get fit and no matter what life throws at you, never, ever give up.

Spirituality

2:38

Young in Body and Soul: the Story of 77-Year Old Ballerina

Most ballet dancers retire in their 20's, but Madame Suzelle Poole, a 77-year-old British ballet instructor is not most ballet dancers...

Health

Daraxonrasib : A New Hope for Pancreatic Cancer Patients

New Pill Doubles Pancreas Cancer Patients Lifespan

A newly approved drug called Daraxonrasib shows remarkable results in clinical trials, doubling survival time for advanced patients.

Baba Recommends

Coober Pedy, The Australian Town Where Thousands Live Underground

To Fight the Heat, An Australian Town Has Gone Underground

Here is the remarkable story of how Coober Pedy came to be, and what it is like.

Send Comment

Related Topics: sports, inspiring, age, videos, healthy lifestyle, Athletics

Quizzes

Do You Remember These Natural Disasters?

Do you know your typhoons from your hurricanes, or which volcanic eruptions shook the modern world? Let’s find out if you can weather the storm and claim that top score!

General Knowledge Quiz

Think you know a thing or two about the world? This is no ordinary trivia quiz.

Hearing Loss, Tinnitus and Inner Ear Balance

how much do you really know about these clever little organs? Prick up your ears, listen closely, and let's discover just how sharp your knowledge is.