Ruth Frith asked for a home gym for her 96th birthday. This month she turns 100 — and is the world's oldest competitor in the Weight Pentathlon. Jo Knowsley reports.
When Ruth Frith turns 100 later this month, she won't be blowing out candles surrounded by loving family and friends ... she'll be trying to break her own world records at an athletics meet.
For this great-grandmother of 11 has an unlikely pursuit. Ruth is the world's oldest competitor in the demanding arena of the Weight Pentathlon.
Indeed, this year's World Masters Games — open to anyone over the age of 25 — has had to create a new age category to cater for the lively centenarian when she competes at the Sydney event in October.
"I don't know why everyone is making such a fuss," says Ruth, who lives in Brisbane with her daughter Helen Searle, 70 — an Olympic high jumper and long jumper who competed for Australia in the 1960 and 1964 Games.
"My eyesight's degenerated, although I don't wear glasses. And I'm too independent to use a support like a stick. I still feel like the freckle-faced redhead I was at 98."
The modest mother of two daughters, and grandmother of six, holds world records in discus, shot-put, javelin, hammer and weight throw — the disciplines which combine to make up the Weight Pentathlon. Her bests are 9.85m in the discus, 4.72m in the shot-put, 11.27m in the hammer, 9.03m in the javelin and 5.16m in the weight throw.
"Yes, I hold those records — but let's be honest, I'm the only competitor in my age group," Ruth says with a laugh.
"I have medals and I have travelled to Games in Finland, Italy, Japan, the US, South Africa and England. But the records don't mean much to me. It's the sport that I love. It's my life and I just love it. I don't have any other hobbies."
For the full story see this week's Woman's Day, on sale August 03, 2009.
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