Veteran athlete Mann Kaur passed away at a private hospital in Derabassi on Saturday afternoon where she was undergoing treatment for cancer.
She was 105 and is survived by her two sons and a daughter.
Mata Mann Kaur, known as the ‘Miracle Mom of Chandigarh’, took up athletics at the age of 93. She had four world records to her name in 100+ age category and had won 35 medals at National and International level.
She was conferred with the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar (the highest civilian honour for women) on 8th March 2020, i.e on International Women’s Day by the government of India.
In addition to having run numerous marathons in India, she has travelled abroad for various events. She became the world’s fastest centenarian at American Masters Games in Vancouver in 2017. She broke her own record – bested it by 7 seconds – taking just 1 minute and 14 seconds to cover 100m.
She is the oldest person in the world to walk along the top of Auckland’s Sky Tower. Moreover, she has also won medals in Javelin throw and Shot Put.3
Women and other sprinters around the world know her by her title of the ‘Miracle Mom’ from Chandigarh.
Mann Kaur is an inspiration for the masses. She turned to athletics to find a new purpose to live by. According to Kaur, there is no age limit in trying out something new.