100 year breaks world records in San Diego

A sweltering hot 100-degree day, Pellmann broke world records (in the over-100 division) in the 100-meter dash, high jump, shot put, discus and long jump, yet wasn’t completely stoked on his performance.

Don Pellmann, of Santa Clara, California, Pellmann competed for 4 1/2 hours at San Diego Mesa College on Sunday in the games.

This is not the most world record-breaking medals Pellmann has gone home with in a single meet, he said.

Pellmann was still disappointed in his efforts because he didn’t clear the bar in the pole vault (opening height of 3-1 3/4), even though he achieved the height in warmups.

“I guess I have pretty good genes”, he told the NYT. “But I’m glad I got the 100 record – that’s the one I wanted the most”. He also holds multiple age class records in the 90-94 and 95-99 age classes.

Setting only five records is actually something of a senior slump for Pellmann; the athlete set seven age-group records during a two-day meet in Colorado in 2005 when he was 90, according to the Times of San Diego.

According to one official, Pellmann became the oldest person to ever enter the local Senior Olympics, beating out an 89-year-old who competed in 2013.

Bill Harvey lent Pellman his discuss, which he used to set the new world record. Pellmann began with a toss of 12.47 meters before increasing that to 13.57 meters and finally 14.86. That haul also set the record for most world records broken in a day.

Mr Pellmann refused to warm up or stretch, shunned water to avoid having to take trips to the bathroom and would not eat anything other than fried macaroni and cheese the night before.

Only well into his retirement did he start competing in athletics again.

“I’ve been in 127 meets since”, Pellmann told the Times. The only event he could not pull off was the pole vault.