Muthukumaraswamy to represent India at World athletics
S. Muthukumaraswamy evoked interest in a few football fans present and this reporter covering the CFA senior division football match at the Nehru Stadium on Wednesday. He is 82 and was practising pole vault!
When approached, he said he’s representing India at the World Masters Athletics (WMA) championship to be held at Malaga, Spain, in September. He will participate in pole vault, 100m sprint and decathlon.
“I expect to win a silver each in pole vault and decathlon,” he said.
He has won the pole vault bronze in the 2017 Asia Masters Athletics (AMA) championship in Rugao, China.
Injury layoff
It is after an almost two-month injury layoff that he’s started his preparation for the World meet on Wednesday. “I had a groin injury,” he said.
He added he’s bought a new pole, that’s cost him around Rs. 60,000, for the event.
He said he had also, for long, taken part in the All India Senior Tennis Association (AISTA) events and the All India Tennis Association’s (AITA) veterans’ competitions. It was when he was around 70 that he stopped playing tennis, he added.
He has won four medals in the 2017 National Masters swimming championship conducted by the Swimming Federation of India in Mysuru.
A gold in the 100m breaststroke event, silver medals in the 50m freestyle and breaststroke, and a bronze in 100m freestyle.
He will be 83 when he competes at the World Masters.
