105-year-old 'Golden Bolt' sets world record for 100m
- Hidekichi Miyazaki ran the distance a day after his 105th birthday
- The Japanese pensioner said he was not happy at his 'slow' time of 42.22 seconds
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A 105-year-old man has set a world record by running the 100 metres just one day after his birthday.
Japanese pensioner Hidekichi Miyazaki, who took up the sport in his 90s, was the first person in the 105-plus category to run the 100 metres, according to AFP.
He said he was not content with his Guiness World Record-beating time of 42.22 seconds, aiming for a personal best of 35 seconds.
"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 told AFP at the end of his race.
His time compares with current world champion Usain Bolt's record of 9.58, less than a quarter of the time taken by the centenarian.
Dubbing himself the "Golden Bolt" - with characteristic arm gesture to match - the 105-year-old is still considered in top physical condition by his doctors, he said.
"My brain might not be the sharpest but physically I'm tip-top,” he said.
The doctors are amazed by me. I can definitely keep on running for another two or three years.
“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.”
According to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) statistics for life longevity in 2014, Japanese women came top with a life expectancy of 87 years old.
The number of Japanese people aged 100 or older hit 60,000 for the first time - of which 87% will again be women, according to AFP.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments