Ida Keeling, a 99-year-old great
great-grandmother, set a record for her age group in the 100-meter
event at Gay Games 9.
Standing 4-feet 6-inches and weighing
83 pounds, Keeling came in last but she was the star as she raced
around the track at Lee Jackson Field on the campus of the University
of Akron.
“My doctor told me 2 years straight
I'm as healthy as a healthy 20-year-old. Hooray!” Keeling told ABC
affiliate WEWS.
Shelley Keeling, her coach and
daughter, said that her mother's time of 59.80 seconds set a new
international record for her age group and gender.
The senior citizen who traveled from
New York to compete in the quad-annual Gay Games said she started
running at the age of 67 to help her cope with the loss of two sons
who were murdered 3 years apart.
She offered some advice to her
supporters: “Eat for nutrition, not for taste. Do what you need to
do, not what you want to do and don't leave out your daily exercise.
Love yourself.”