World, American Masters Records Among New National Senior Games Marks Set in Birmingham
Julia Hawkins, 101, reflects on her record setting run.
BATON ROUGE, La. (June 21, 2017) – The 30th anniversary gathering of the National Senior Games made its own history, with athletes producing at least four new world records and eight American Masters track records among the 142 new entries into The Games’ record books.
Hollyce Kirkland, 98, of Sevierville, Tennessee, ran for world record times in the women’s 95-99 400- and 800-meter races at 4:29:64 and 9:30:46 respectively. She also earned an American record in the 200-meter race. Curt Davison, 92, of Kirkwood, Missouri, threw the hammer to a new high mark of 25.28 in the men’s 90-94 group. Joining them in the all-time ranks is 101-year-old Julia Hawkins of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who set the women’s 100+ 100-meter mark at 36.62 seconds. Dubbed “Hurricane Hawkins,” the spry retired teacher beat six of seven other competitors running simultaneously in the 90-95 and 95-99 divisions. “I came to run, and that’s what I did,” Hawkins quipped.
Additional American masters track records were made by 92-year-old Dottie Gray of St. Louis, Missouri in the women’s 90-94 400-meter race, and Neringa Jakstiene, 54, of Memphis, Tennessee, in women’s 50-54 triple jump. In swimming, Doug Springer, 71 of Saddlebrooke, Arizona, set six National Senior Games swimming records in the 70-74 age division, including a time of 5:28.47 in the 400-yard individual medley to break the U.S. Masters Swimming short course yards national record for the 70-74 age group.
The 2017 National Senior Games presented by Humana were hosted in Birmingham from June 2-15, bringing in more than 10,500 athletes age 50 and over competing in 19 medal sports. Competition is organized into five-year age divisions, which helps create greater opportunities for senior athletes to test themselves, and set new highs, in comparison with their age peers.
To date, 133 individual athletic efforts have been verified as setting National Senior Games record performances across a variety of sports where such records are kept. New marks were set in archery, bowling, golf, road race, swimming, and track and field. Thirty of the 63 swimming records reflect newly-added events in the 200 butterfly and the 400 individual medley, but 33 new swimming best times is a significant number, according to Marc T. Riker, CEO of the National Senior Games Association.
“We are proud that we provide a great competition experience for both elite senior athletes and everyday people working their way to qualify to come to Nationals for fitness, fun and fellowship,” he notes. “The number of new records is evidence that more and more of the best are joining us, and that our elder ranks are pushing the envelope to show what they can do, even at an advanced age.”
To see a list of new National Senior Games records, Click Here. To find complete competition results for the 2017 National Senior Games presented by Humana, please visit www.NSGA.com/results.
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About the National Senior Games Association:
The National Senior Games Association (NSGA) is a nonprofit Multi-Sports Council member of the United States Olympic Committee that promotes health and wellness for adults 50 and over through education, fitness and sport. NSGA governs the biennial National Senior Games, the largest qualified multi-sport event in the world for seniors. NSGA is comprised of 53 Member Games across the country and in Canada who conduct competitions which serve as qualifying events for the National Senior Games. For more information, please visit www.NSGA.com.
Media Contacts:
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