44 Year Old Sprinter Merlene Ottey Qualifies for 100 Metre Final

from          rediff.com                  :

Speaking ahead of her departure to Athens to compete for the first time under the flag of her adopted home Slovenia, the 44-year-old said she was hoping to cause the world's top sprinters some problems.

"I'm not going there because it's the seventh," Ottey told Reuters in an interview on Thursday. "I think I'll be happy if I go there and do well. I try to remain focused on what I would like to achieve.

"I'd like to get my times improved, and to see how far I can go. Hopefully, I can be pushing the favourites to their limits."

Since winning a bronze medal in the 200 on her Olympic debut in Moscow 24 years ago, Ottey has accumulated a haul of eight medals, three silvers and four further bronzes. The gold, though, still eludes her.

Ottey will be running in both sprint events in Athens and is optimistic of doing well after an injury-free year in which she has set best times of 11.09 seconds for the 100 and 23.06 seconds for the 200.

Rk Bib Name NOC DOB Lane React Fn Result 1 2244 SIMPSON  Sherone  JAM 12  AUG  1984  4 0.157 11.09 Q 2 2213 BAILEY  Aleen  JAM 25  NOV  1980  6 0.220 11.12 Q 3 3016 OTTEY  Merlene  SLO 10  MAY  1960  5 0.179 11.24 Q 4 2902 KRUGLOVA  Larisa  RUS 27  OCT  1972  8 0.196 11.36 5 2604 NKU  Mercy  NGR 17  JUL  1976  1 0.154 11.39 6 2508 ALLEN  Liliana  MEX 24  MAR  1970  7 0.175 11.52 7 3114 ASHBY  Fana  TRI 15  JUN  1981  2 0.178 11.54 DNF 1956 ANIM  Vida  GHA 07  DEC  1983  3 0.175 DNF
Qualification: First 3 in each heat (Q) and the next 4 fastest (q) advance to the 2

category:females in 2004 Olympics

p.s. more on Ottey and the myth of age from smh.com.au :

 

Not the retiring type

Staying power ... sprinter Merlene Ottey. Photo: Joe Armao

Any athlete like Patrick Johnson who gets to the watershed age of 30 can look for inspiration to the Jamaican-born sprinter Merlene Ottey. She turns 43 tomorrow but is still talking about competing at next year's Olympics.

Ottey is one of a number of big-name sports people who in recent years have remained at the top of their sports long after they were supposed to have shuffled off into retirement