The 71-year-old athlete from China who has… is driving the track and field crazy with his performance.
The 71-year-old Jin Hui recently became the first Chinese over 70 years old who ran the 100 meters in less than 14 seconds during a struggle which led him to conquest five gold medals in his age category.
THE Jin Hui dominated the China Track and Field Masters 2024, a competition that challenges athletes aged 35 to 84 to compete in various track and field events. It was the second time that Mr Jin Hui he took part in the prestigious event after his debut in 2023, when he finished second in the 100m with a respectable time of 15.26 seconds, but somehow managed to blow everyone away with his performance.
The septuagenarian not only scored new national record for the 100m race in his age group, but he also grabbed the gold medal in all five competitions in which he participated. “I competed in five events in this Masters tournament and won gold medals in all of themJin told CCTV News. “I had fun. Breaking the records was the happiest moment of my life. It’s such a great feeling to break your boundaries!”
Apart from the 100m, o Jin Hui also participated in the 200m, long jump, 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay at the 2024 China Track and Field Masters, dominating each event with his incredible athleticism. In the popular 100 meter race, Mr Jin Hui crossed the finish line with a time of 13.97 seconds, becoming the first Chinese who finished the race in under 14 seconds. Now he has set his sights on international success, planning to compete against foreign champions and make his country proud.
It is easy to assume that the Jin Hui is a retired athlete with decades of experience, but the truth is that he discovered athletics after retiring from his job as a maintenance worker at a steel factory in Inner Mongolia in 2008. For a while, he was confused about what to do with his free time, but his son urged him to join the senior football team in Qingdao, and despite not being as skilled as the other players, he was determined to train harder than everyone else.
“Since I didn’t have good skills, I ran 7,000 meters while others ran 5,000 meters, so I developed my fitness“, said Jin Hui, adding that this way training it was his teammates who noticed his speed and suggested he sign up for a running competition.
His success Jin Hui has inspired people of all ages to take up sport, but doctors have warned that sprinting is not necessarily the healthier sport for seniors 70 and over, as it poses many health risks. Everyone should first consult their doctor and assess their physical abilities before engaging in demanding physical activities.
