Australian W90 Heather Lee sets 3K race walk WR in Tasmania
Two days after South Africa’s Cecily Rootenberg became the first W90 20K race walker, Australia’s Heather Lee set a debut W90 world record Monday in the 3K track walk, clocking 24:56.97 at the 16th Australian Masters Games in Tasmania. (See results here.) She already was the W85 WR holder — and won gold and silver at 2016 Perth worlds. The newspaper report said she broke the former world record for her age group by almost 30 seconds, but I can’t find one for W90 (unless it’s her own W90 best). “The nonagenarian had hoped to finish in under 25 minutes – and that is just what she did,” the story said. “Her record will become official when she submits it to the World Association of Masters Athletics.” (Well, nobody’s perfect.) “Lee started walking when her husband died two decades ago, saying she felt stronger and better the faster and further she went.”
Heather has been a walk star for years, taking up sport after husband’s death.
Simon Butler-White writes (after my original post):
From Down Under, Simon Butler-White adds:
At an Athletics New South Wales event in Sydney on November 19, 2016, just a couple of days after her 90th birthday, she recorded a time of 25:34.18, which she lowered to 24:56.97 at the 2017 Australian Masters Games in Ulverstone in north-west Tasmania.
Results of her 2016 walk are here.
Yesterday, 24 hours after her 3000m effort, Heather lowered the WR in the 5000m walk, set by Romania’s Elena Pagu at the 2016 WMA world championships in Perth. Elena’s time was 44:28.33.
Heather’s time yesterday was 42:36.49. I know she’s very happy, as she’s been eyeing the WR for a year. She turns 91 next month.
Her last event in Launceston before flying home to Sydney is the 1500m walk. She holds the Australian record in that too, set at the same Sydney meeting on November 19, 2016. It’s 12:09.10.
Here’s Heather with some younger fans after her 3000m walk in Sydney on November 19, 2016.
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Previous best was Mary Lathram , USA , 28’38”38 in September 2005 .
Mary’s mark not listed here track 3K. But this is:
http://www.usatf.org/statistics/records/view.asp?division=american&location=outdoor%20track%20%26%20field&age=masters&ageGroup=90-94&sport=RW
Heather Lee clocking 25’34″18 in Sydney 19/11/2016,
two days after his birthday.
In the 5000 Walk (24 October) she clocking in 42’36″49 better the 42’37″46 of 09/12/2016 in Sydney
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