World records are made to be broken, but occasionally, lighting strikes and an amazing athlete puts together an incredible performance that destroys a world record.
The track and field world is still buzzing over one athlete’s recent performance. Donald Pellman, who just celebrated his 95th birthday, raised his own record in the 90-95 year old age bracket for the high jump by more than 4 inches.
Don now holds 7 world records in a variety of events, including pole vault, long jump, shot put, discus, javelin and the 100-yard dash.
He tells Growing Bolder that as long as he keeps his legs moving, he thinks he can continue to rack up the records.
Although he was an athlete in high school and college, Don says he didn’t do much during his adult years. But after he retired, he learned about the Senior Olympics, and for the past 26 years, he’s been dominating every event he’s competed in.
Over the years, he has competed in nearly 900 events and Don has medaled in every single one. And, all of those medals, except for five, were gold!
He says there’s no big secret to his success. He simply eats well and does some form of exercise every single day. Sometimes it’s as simple as a long walk, but the key is to always keep moving, he says.
“If you want to be a champion, you can’t take any time off. You’ve got to do something every day,” he tells Growing Bolder.
What’s the best exercise anyone can do?
“Push yourself away from the table when you’ve eaten enough,” Don says.
Find out what new event Don is training for now.