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Emma Maria Mazzenga is a record-breaker. She currently holds five world records, nine European records, and 28 best performances in Italy, her home country. Emma is a Master Sprinter, competing in races against her age group. She’s the world’s fastest 90-year-old-woman sprinter.
Emma Maria started running in her youth, but stopped when she was raising a family. Then, at age 53, she reignited her passion for the sport and began her career as a Master’s athlete. She credits running with getting her through “some difficult times.” She points out that in a life as long as hers, those difficult times haven’t been lacking. One of the biggest benefits of the sport is that she finds herself surrounded by a lot of people so she’s never alone.
A true athlete, Emma Maria has her own set of pre-race rituals: she doesn’t wear socks and never wears the same shoes for racing as she does for training. More often than not, she’s competing against the clock. With no direct rivals in her age group, she frequently has no competitors in a race. If that’s the case, she aims to set a good time, often resulting in a world record.
Whether she breaks a record or not, each success is celebrated with a beer with fellow runners. Emma Maria says she prefers “not to make long-term plans,” but has commitments to race in the upcoming Italian championships and world championships in Sweden. And why not?
She hasn’t let her age stop her yet. In a country that is home to one of the Blue Zones and where one out of four citizens are over the age of 65, Emma Maria is just someone else living her 100 Year Lifestyle and enjoying every moment on her way to 100 or more!
If you want to see photos of her in competition, keep reading. And be sure to scroll down and check out all of those trophies and medals!
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