Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins, 103, has bragging rights to being the oldest woman to compete on an American track, finishing the 50- and 100-meter dashes at the recent National Senior Games in New Mexico, the Daily Mail reported citing the Associated Press.
Hawkins, who is from Louisiana, already holds the world record for her age group in the 100-meter dash, said the report.
On June 17, she clocked at 21.06 in the 50-meter event.
Hawkins, a retired teacher, said a combination of things keep her going – from yard work around her home in Baton Rouge to the challenges of competition.
“I keep active all the time,” AP quoted her as saying. “I have an acre of land. I work in it all the time. I have 30 bonsai bushes – some are 40 or 50 years old. That keeps me busy.”
Born on Feb. 9, 1916, Hawkins graduated with a teaching degree from Louisiana State University in 1938. That’s where she met her future husband, Murray Hawkins. She taught for a while in Honduras while he served in the Navy.
After surviving the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he asked her to marry him. They had four children.
(Photos provide by the National Senior Games Association)
