September 26, 2015

WORLD: Japan’s 105-Year-Old 'Golden Bolt', Hidekichi Miyazaki, Sets Guinness World Record For 100 Metres. WOW So Full Of Life! :D

Photo: AFP

The Telegraph, UK
written by Danielle Demetriou, Tokyo
Thursday September 24, 2015

A pin-up for the nation’s rapidly ageing “silver” population, Japanese pensioner Hidekichi Miyazaki sets a 100 meter Guinness World Record a day after turning 105.

An energetic 105-year-old Japanese man who dubs himself "Golden Bolt" has set a new world record after running 100 metres in 42.22 seconds.

Hidekichi Miyazaki, who took up running in his 90s, completed his 100-metre dash alongside a clutch of other elderly runners at the Kyoto Masters Competition in Kyoto, western Japan.

His performance - which took place a day after his 105th birthday – set a Guinness World Record for the over-105s, a category for which no mark previously existed.

After being greeted by his great grandchildren clutching flowers at the finishing line, he jubilantly imitated the signature lightning pose of his hero Usain Bolt, whose world record for the same distance is 9.58 seconds.

However, Mr Miyazaki, who is clearly a perfectionist as well as a self-proclaimed “medical marvel”, was disappointed with his result, having hoped to shave a few seconds off his time.

After catching his breath, he told AFP: “I’m not happy with the time. I started shedding tears during the race because I was going so slowly. Perhaps I’m getting old!”

Mr Miyazaki, the ultimate pin up for the nation’s rapidly ageing “silver” demographic, added: “I’m still a beginner you know. I’ll have to train harder. Training was going splendidly, so I had set myself a target of 35 seconds. I can still go faster.”

Diminutive five-foot tall Mr Miyazaki, who was born four years before the start of World War One, trains by placing a kilogram weight into his rucksack and taking daily walks around the local park near where he lives in Kyoto while he prepares for races with a catnap.

Although Mr Miyazaki realises he often loses valuable seconds because he cannot hear the starter’s gun go off, he prides himself on his robust health, despite his advancing years.

“I will say this: I’m proud of my health,” he said. “The doctors gave me a medical examination a couple of days ago and I’m fit as a fiddle.

“My brain might not be the sharpest but physically I’m tip-top. I’ve never had any health problems. The doctors are amazed by me. I can definitely keep on running for another two or three years.”

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