Goes to Adelaide swimmer Margo Bates, 99, who won seven golds and told the Brisbane Times: “Don’t ever mention the word old to me unless it’s got a G in front of it.” The Sydney multisport spectacular ended today, with Earl Fee crushing the listed M80 world record in the 300 hurdles. His time of 56.92 shreds the 62.61 by American Dan Bulkley at 1999 Gateshead worlds. Relays took place today, with funny way of grouping teams — by sum of legs’ ages. For example, Michael Waller anchored a winning team in the “Men 4×400 metre Relay 200-239.”  It’s basically M50. Bill Collins anchored a winning 4×1 and took the M55 200 in 23.95. Still no word on archrival Steve Peters of Britain. He ran a 100 prelims and dropped from sight. Waller also took the deuce in 23.73. Phil Raschker won close to a dozen W60 events. Bruce McBarnette concluded a season of seasons with a 1.90 (6-2 3/4) in the M50 high jump.

Aussie runner Paul McGuire captured the Games spirit with his world-class video.

But the braveheart award goes to Larry Barnum, who took silvers in the M65 400 and 200 despite recent knee surgery. His Aussie wife, Carmel, kept the gold-medal blog of the meet. Read it here.

Here’s a nice summary of the Games:

Masters show how to stay forever young

DOUG CONWAY, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

October 18, 2009 – 3:29PM

AAP

The biggest ever Olympics for slightly older people, and in some cases extremely old people, closed on Sunday with pretty much all of the 28,200 competitors proving a point.

The elite – former world champions and 230 Olympians spanning the past 17 Summer Games from Berlin in 1936 to Beijing in 2008 – showed they can still walk the walk.

The weekend warriors – thousands given the rare chance to mix it with the best – got plenty of opportunity to talk the talk.

From the youngest, 24-year-old Canadian swimmer Facundo Chernikoff, to the oldest, 101-year-old NSW lawn bowler Reg Trewin, all lived up to the World Masters Games motto of “fit, fun and forever young”.

As the nine-day festival closed with a concert at Darling Harbour and a handover to the eighth host city, Turin in 2013, competitors from 95 nations could reflect on a sporting gala that preached and achieved sporting unity.

There were predictable gold medals on the squash court for five-times former world champ Sarah Fitz-Gerald and in the swimming pool for Olympians Adam Pine, still only 33, and Chris Fydler, 36, revisiting the scene of his relay team’s “guitar smashing” Olympic win over the US in 2000.

Fellow gold medallist Daniel Kowalski, however, provided the best example of Games fever.

He turned up to watch, felt “a real buzz”, bought some Speedos and goggles and won himself another gold.

Also back in the pool winning gold were the water polo stars of the Sydney Olympics, now calling themselves “Way Beyond 2000”, nine years and 20 babies after their famous victory over the US.

Olympic shooting great Russell Mark, 45, who still competes at elite level, put an end to seven years of taunts by winning the only notable prize to have eluded him – a World Masters gold.

He had failed at his previous attempt in 2002.

But who said age shall not weary them?

Former Olympic hockey gold medallist Nova Batman, 37, forced by a calf injury into touch football rather than her 400m track event, lamented: “It’s just a shit of a thing, when you’re older you get more injuries.”

The centre of media attention, Danish sailor Prince Frederik, found plenty of fun but little competitive joy.

He was dunked in the harbour several times in his unfamiliar Tasar dinghy and finished seventh.

The Games suffered one tragedy and one moment of mass disappointment.

An international competitor in his late 40s died from an apparent heart attack during the 21km canoe marathon.

And more than 600 swimmers, including former Wallaby captain Phil Kearns, had their three-kilometre open water event cancelled because the water temperature in Sydney Harbour was below the 18 degrees safety level stipulated by world body FINA.

As impressive as the top-flight performers were, it was hard to stop the golden oldies like 100-year-old Ruth Frith from grabbing the limelight.

The Brisbane great-grandmother could scarcely avoid winning six gold medals, since no one else was old enough to compete in her age group.

But she made even more headlines with her outspoken views, saying she never eats vegetables and believes a woman’s place is in the home.

The oldest Olympian, 90-year-old Canadian Noel Morrow, who swam at Hitler’s Berlin Games, wasn’t even sure she would complete her 100m backstroke.

But she did, and added another gold to the one she acquired at Sydney’s Empire Games in 1938.

Former rugby league hardman Mark Geyer, 41, playing touch football, said his motivation to stay fit was the thought of his three young daughters getting older and discovering boys.

“When a knock on the door comes one day,” he said, “I want to make sure I’m big enough, fit enough and ugly enough to say ‘sorry mate, bye’.”

Inspiration was not in short supply.

The retired Queensland farmer, who walked 1,200km from Gympie to run in Sydney, feared a dressing-down from his wife when he got home.

“My wife Jean is not very impressed, I was supposed to retire from running four years ago,” said Carl Hebbel, 70. “I had to pack my swag on the sly just to get here.”

Victorian olive grower Andrew Jamieson, 60, attributed his 20km walk victory to his training partner, a black and tan kelpie called Richie, saying: “I think we’ll be celebrating with a bone together.”

Adelaide great-grandmother Margo Bates, 99, claimed seven gold medals in the pool, living up to her pre-Games credo: “Don’t ever mention the word old to me unless it’s got a G in front of it.”