Japan’s 105-yr-old ‘Golden Bolt’ sets sprint record, misses personal best

A Japanese man has raced into the Guinness World Records after running 100m in 42.22 seconds in Kyoto, western Japan.

Most 105-year-olds are dead… but there’s one from Japan who’s still SPRINTING LIKE A CHAMP… and set a WORLD RECORD on the track this week.

A 105-year-old Japanese man has broken his own record as the world’s oldest competitive sprinter but said he is unhappy with his time. Training was going splendidly, so I had set myself a target of 35 seconds.

Wearing his trademark red, Mr Myazaki completed the race to be congratulated by his grandchildren holding bouquets of flowers and a certificate from an official from the Guinness Book of Records.

“I will say this: I’m proud of my health”, he said.

The Golden Bolt had previously set the record on two occasions, the first time in 2013 at the age of 103, after finishing 100m in 34.10 seconds. “I can definitely keep on running for another two or three years”.

Miyazaki was born on 22 September 1910 and has just celebrated his 105th birthday.

Weighing 42 kg, he trains by popping a 1-kg weight into a rucksack and taking daily walks around his local park in Kyoto, where he lives. The doctors are amazed by me.

Miyazaki’s daughter Kiyono said that her father has ignored advice from his doctors warning him that running is too much for someone his age.

However, Mr Miyazaki, who is clearly a perfectionist as well as a self-proclaimed “medical marvel”, was disappointed with his result, having hoped to shave a few seconds off his time.

He then went on to compete in the Asia Masters Athletics Championships in Kitakani, Japan last year at 104 years old, finishing in 34.61 seconds.