At 95, an Indian is sprint champion

Four summers after surviving a heart attack, 95-year-old Jahan Baksh Kapadia today basks in the glory of bagging two gold medals at the Veterans' Olympics in Brisbane on July 9.

The grand old athlete, a member of the 60-member Indian squad to the meet, sprinted his way to glory in the 100 and 200 meters in the 'over 95' category.

After winning the 100 metres bronze in the early nineties' Buffalo meet in the United States and three silver medals in the 100, 200 and 400 metres events in the 1997 Durban meet, Kapadia's next target was a gold.

"Winning a gold is my dream come true," Kapadia said at his central Calcutta home on Friday.

Kapadia, who loves to watch Sachin Tendulkar and Amitabh Bachchan in action, took to athletics as late as in the seventies. In his college and school days, games like hockey, tennis and football were his passion.

"I wish to run again for the next world meet, scheduled in 2003 in Puerto Rico, provided my health and fitness permit," he said with optimism.

The veteran, widowed 29 years ago, said he has no geriatric ailment apart from being slightly hard of hearing.

"Jahan means the world and Baksh means giving. I run to give something to the world," he said.

Kapadia's daughter Zareen Rustomji, who accompanied him to the meet, said despite a cardiac arrest in 1997, his spirit had not been dampened.

"He wants to make a record my sprinting at the age of 100," she said.