103 Year Old LA Woman Sets Records in the 50 and 100 Meter Dash
The National Senior Games in New Mexico are going on right now, and 103 year old Julia "Hurricane" Hawkins is already the talk of the track. The Baton Rouge resident is no stranger to the attention though. Setting the record for the oldest person to ever run the 50 and 100 yard dash competitively is just the latest in a long string of accomplishments that Mrs. Hawkins doesn't seem ready to stop adding to just yet.
The senior speedster clocked a 21.06 in the 50-meter event, last week - a Senior Games record for the women's 100-plus age division. She took the 100 yard dash in just over 46 seconds, narrowly missing the record she set last year in the event.
Hawkins picked up athletic competition in her 80's. That's when she decided to jump on a bicycle and head for the senior Olympics. When she was the last person in her division, her children suggested she start running. She ran her first competitive 100-yard dash at the age of 100. She credits her 20 year cycling career for her strong legs.
According to KMOV, her goal is to inspire senior citizens to be active and to remind them, "you can still be doing it at this kind of an age."