The Masters Games is going to be great
The glamour names of international athletics might be missing but I am looking forward to the World Masters Games very much.
What an incredible event, and come on Aucklanders, do all in your power to ensure the competitors here in our wonderful city have a fabulous time.
The World Masters Games is said to be the world’s largest multi-sport event.
Held every four years, it is the bee’s knees event for masters competitors.
Just like the Olympics, the principle is ‘‘sport for all’’, and the goal is encouraging participation in sport throughout life. It is as much about friendship as winning.
You would have to have to have a very hard heart not to love the story of Man Kaur, who has travelled all the way from India to compete.
At 101, she is the only 100-plus year-old competitor, and as such is a shoo-in to win four golds.
She has a personal goal too, to crack one minute 10 seconds in the 100m. That is going to be some achievement, since her best so far is one minute 21s.
I have a good feeling for her, and if she does that, and adds the 200m, the 2kg shot put and the 400g javelin, it will take her haul of medals well over 20 since she started competing.
It is a pretty fair effort to travel 13,000km just to get here, with her son Gurdev – who is no spring chicken at 79 either.
Gurdev had been taking part in masters games for 25 years when he convinced his then 93-year-old mum to give it a go.
And if this is not the best sporting quote of the year so far I do not know what is: ‘‘Till the day I die, I will do this and may I die on the track... no problem.’’
Well I certainly hope not. Congratulations to all the participants and the organisers. And a vote of thanks from a retired butcher to the army of volunteers who have turned out to make it all run smoothly too. Wonderful stuff.
If only I could say the same about the Vodafone Warriors, but a very good first half was followed by a very poor second half, and the result was yet another loss in Canberra, this time 20-8.