CaraVanOtterloo at 18:07, 25 April 2026

2026-04-25T18:07:09Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Short description|Indian track-and-field athlete (1916–2021)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Man Kaur
| image = Mann Kaur in New Delhi on March 08, 2020 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Kaur in 2020
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1916|3|1|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[British Raj]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2021|7|31|1916|3|1|df=yes}}
| death_place = India
}}
'''Man Kaur''' (1 March 1916 – 31 July 2021) was an Indian [[track-and-field]] [[athlete]]. She holds the world records in the Over-100 years old categories for a variety of events. At the age of 103, she was given the [[Nari Shakti Puraskar]] award by the President of India.

==Life==
Man Kaur's height was about five feet (150 cm) and she was a native [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] speaker.<ref name=what/> She won multiple gold medals at the [[World Masters Athletics Championships]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/sport-others/man-kaur-100-year-old-runner-from-india-wins-gold-medal-at-masters-games-3005284/ | title=Man Kaur, 100-year-old runner from India, wins gold medal at Masters Games | date=31 August 2016 | publisher=The Indian Express | accessdate=30 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/inspire-me/92052110/man-kaur-oldest-athlete-at-world-masters-games-now-aucklands-oldest-skywalker | title=Man Kaur, oldest athlete at World Masters Games, now Auckland's oldest skywalker | date=29 April 2017 | publisher=stuff.co.nz | accessdate=30 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.runnersworld.com/masters-racing/101-year-old-wins-four-gold-medals-at-the-world-masters-games | title=101-Year-Old Wins Four Gold Medals at the World Masters Games | date=27 April 2017 | publisher=runnersworld.com | accessdate=30 April 2017}}</ref>
[[File:Shri Narendra Modi with the Nari Shakti Awardees, in New Delhi on March 08, 2020.jpg|thumb|left|Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]] with the Nari Shakti Awardees on [[International Women's Day]] in 2020. Kaur is the person on the 2nd right in the bottom row.]] She did not start to pursue athletics until she was 93. In 2016 she became the fastest centenarian at a competition in the American Masters Games.<ref name=m93>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2020/mar/08/lady-mason-centenarian-athlete-among-15-women-conferred-nari-shakti-awards-2114073.html|title=Lady mason, centenarian athlete among 15 women conferred Nari Shakti Awards|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=10 April 2020}}</ref>

In anticipation of the 2017 [[World Masters Games]], Kaur trained regularly at [[Punjabi University]], in hopes of improving upon her own world record which she set over the years. Her coach was her own son Gurdev Singh, who was 79 years old at that time.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/other-sports/101-year-old-mann-kaur-miracle-from-chandigarh-sprints-to-world-masters-medal/story-gV26qcsMsRDO1qyOwrw5GJ.html | title=101-year-old athlete Mann Kaur sets world record to win World Masters gold | date=24 April 2017 | publisher=Hindustan Times | accessdate=30 April 2017}}</ref> In the 2017 games, held in [[Auckland]], New Zealand she completed the 100 metre sprint in 74 seconds.<ref name=what/>

In 2019 she competed in [[Poland]] winning four events in her category - shot put, 60m sprint, 200m, and the javelin. She completed the 60m race in 36 seconds and "felt great" afterwards.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bhattacharjee|first=Sumit|date=20 December 2019|title=Man Kaur, a woman athlete who is going great guns at 103|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/man-kaur-a-woman-athlete-who-is-going-great-guns-at-103/article30355566.ece|access-date=21 March 2021|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> After this she and Gurdev were invited to tour universities in [[Baru Sahib]] where they inspired students when they spoke about their achievements and the diet they follow. As per those speeches, their diet includes nuts and pulses, home grown soy milk, kefir, wheatgrass juice, and sprouted wheat which they turn into [[Chapati|chapatis]].<ref name=what>{{Cite web|title=Whatever Happened To ... The 101-Year-Old Champion Runner From India?|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/08/28/753479752/whatever-happened-to-the-101-year-old-champion-runner-from-india|website=NPR.org|date=28 August 2019 |language=en|access-date=12 May 2020|last1=Sachdev |first1=Chhavi }}</ref>

Late 2019, Kaur (age 103) won gold in the 200 meter dash at 3:01.61 and shot put at 2.21 m at the December 2019 Asian Masters Championship in [[Malaysia]].<ref>2019 Asian Masters Championship Meet Results. [http://mmaa.org.my/pdf/2020/mmaa_amac_results/day_three.pdf] Retrieved 24 March 2021</ref>

On 8 March ([[International Women's Day]]) 2020 she was handed the [[Nari Shakti Puraskar]] award. The award was presented at [[Rashtrapati Bhavan]] the Presidential Palace India in [[New Delhi]] by the [[President of India]] with the [[Prime Minister of India]], [[Narendra Modi]], in attendance. She was nicknamed the "Miracle from Chandigarh".<ref name=m93/>

Kaur died on 31 July 2021, at the age of 105, after suffering from [[gallbladder cancer]].<ref>[https://www.jagran.com/punjab/chandigarh-international-master-athlete-mann-kaur-passes-away-in-chandigarh-21881973.html इंटरनेशनल मास्टर एथलीट मान कौर की जिंदगी की दौड़ पूरी, चंडीगढ़ में 105 वर्ष की उम्र में निधन
इंटरनेशनल मास्टर एथलीट मान कौर की फाइल फोटो।] {{in lang|hi}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of centenarian masters track and field athletes]]
*[[List of masters athletes]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Nari Shakti Puraskar}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaur, Man}}
[[Category:1916 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Chandigarh]]
[[Category:Indian women centenarians]]
[[Category:Indian women athletes]]
[[Category:World record holders in masters athletics]]
[[Category:Nari Shakti Puraskar winners]]
[[Category:Masters athletes]]
[[Category:Deaths from gallbladder cancer]]

Man Kaur - Revision history

CaraVanOtterloo at 18:07, 25 April 2026