A 106-year-old sprinter, Rambai – who began competing in athletics two years ago at the age of 104 and broke the world record for the 100-meter sprint in the above-85 category in 2022, also adds three more gold medals to her collection on Monday at the 18th National Open Athletics Championships in Dehradun.
Rambai won one gold in the 100-meter sprint, one in the 200-meter sprint, and one in the shot put.
Rambai defeated three to five opponents in each of the three tournaments for the over-85 group.
106-yr-old bags 3 gold at Doon sport
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When her granddaughter offer to massage her legs, she told her to “give it to someone who needs it” as she walk off the platform with pride while exclaiming “I’m happy” in Haryanvi.
Rambai spent the majority of her childhood performing home duties and working in the family agricultural field.
Rambai was born in Kadma, a small village in Haryana’s Charkhi Dadri.
Her involvement in sports began in 2016, when Punjab’s Man Kaur, then 100, made headlines by winning gold in the 100-meter sprint at the American Masters Games in Vancouver and setting a world record for the fastest centenarian.
At the World Masters Game in Auckland the following year, Man Kaur beat her own world record by 7 seconds.
Sharmila Sagwan, Rambai’s 41-year-old granddaughter, relate her Man Kaur’s tale and argue that if a person over 100 years old could do it, then why couldn’t Rambai?
Rambai said :
“When Sharmila first ask me to start participating in sporting events in the veterans’ category, I hesitate. But now I am happy to be in the field, as I have hardly ever step out of my village before this. I hope my participation in sports at this age sends the message to youths that if I can do it, nothing can stop them from taking up sports and staying fit,”.
Rambai broke Man Kaur’s record at the Open Masters Athletics Champions in Vadodara in June 2022 with just a little bit of practise, by years of hard work on the field and a diet mostly consisting of milk, homemade dairy products, and farm fresh vegetables.
In the past two years, Rambai has compete in 14 sporting events in India and overseas, winning over 200 medals.
Daadi Cool : Rambai, the 106-year-old sprinter who has won 200 medals in 2 years | 2YoDoINDIA News Network
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Sharmila Sagwan said :
“At first, other family members hesitated when we floated the idea of grandma taking up sports. They said if anything were to happen to her, villagers would blame us for not taking good care of our elderly. But I convinced them by showing Mann Kaur’s story,”.
Her mother, Santra Devi, 65, and her grandmother were also motivate to play these activities by Sharmila Sagwan.
The same events are now attend by women from three generations, but in different age groups.
