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Olga Kotelko lights fires under others with her spirit, example
If you’re not an inspiration already (for doing track and field at your age), you can expect to be at age 90. Sure happened for Olga Kotelko. Of course, it helps when you’re setting a gazillion world records. Olga of West Vancouver, British Columbia, also has an athlete’s character and spirit. Her local paper named […]
May 16, 2010
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W90 superstar Olga Kotelko continues her world record romp
Olga Kotelko just kills me. She claims at least 15 world records in the run-up to Lahti, sets eight WRs there, and then what? She goes and sets some more a couple weekends ago at the British Columbia Senior Games in Richmond. Her most notable WR at Minoru Park was in the 400-meter dash. She […]
September 24, 2009
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Olga Kotelko and Jerry Smartt nicely profiled in home press
Jerry Smartt ran some M75 distance races at Lahti worlds, and though he didn’t bring home a medal, his visit was golden. It was a homecoming of sorts. In a great profile published today in the Columbia Missourian, he tells Sarah Nail: “I learned how to run when I first went to Finland in 1956. I […]
September 7, 2009
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Book ’em, Olga! Parade article says Kotelko study is out soon
Bruce Grierson, an exceptional writer based in Vancouver, first contacted me about Canadian masters legend Olga Kotelko in 2010. The resultant New York Times Magazine piece was titled “The Incredible Flying Nonagenarian.” But Bruce didn’t stop there. He began research for a book on Olga (and interviewed me again this past April). Now the world […]
December 29, 2013
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A year after Olga’s death, cheer those who keep her flame alive
A year ago today, we lost Olga Kotelko — who at 95 seemed to be poised to rewrite that age group’s outdoor records (after claiming a slew of indoor bests). She is being remembered by British Columbia friends and others around the world. “We had our BC Masters Outdoor Championship/ Annual Pacific Invitational last weekend […]
June 24, 2015
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Kamloops sees Kotelko add 6 notches to her world record belt
They held a little meet in Kamloops over the weekend. A little lady named Olga Kotelko showed up. The result? BOOM! SIX more world records. I don’t know if the Canadian records czar will ratify marks set at the two-day Centennial meet at Hillside Stadium. But it shows our 95-year-old friend hasn’t let fame go […]
May 22, 2014
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WMA counts 53 world records at Budapest; Olga shortchanged
World Masters Athletics has posted a list of 53 world records (indoor and out) set at Budapest last week. Many were news to me. But Olga Kotelko, who turned 95 just before worlds, didn’t get credit for one record — the high jump. She answered an email query (as part of research I’m doing for […]
April 10, 2014
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One-lap wonders: WRs to Del Grande, Mazzenga and Kotelko
I’ve lost count of the world records at Budapest worlds, with Canada’s Olga Kotelko and Karla Del Grande and Italy’s Emma Mazzenga setting new standards in the 200s Friday. (An earlier posting incorrectly said Guido MĂĽller set a WR, too. Oops, my bad. Bob Lida’s record of 27.64 is still best.) But I can’t overlook […]
March 29, 2014
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Book review: ‘What Makes Olga Run?’ could revolutionize society
Call it Aerobics 2.0. If boomers (and their parents) start rolling wine bottles under their backs at 3 a.m., drain the market of Sudoku puzzles and take up the Western roll, we’ll have Bruce Grierson to thank. Olga Kotelko, too. Five decades after Ken Cooper’s call to action fueled the running boom, “What Makes Olga […]
January 14, 2014
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Olga! Olga! Olga! Olga! Olga! Olga! Olga! Seven WRs in W90!
A week ago, the Canadians held their masters nationals at Kamloops. The star of the show was no doubt Olga Kotelko, a 90-year-old ironwoman. Doug Smith, the Ontario masters maven, reports that Olga set seven world age-group records in three days! It helps that WMA doesn’t list WRs for W90s in several events. So she’s […]
July 25, 2009
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