Man Kaur India’s centenarian athlete was denied visa to China to participate in the Asian Masters Athletics Championships. The 101-year-old Indian runner said that China has refused to grant her visa robbing her of a potential medal.
Man Kaur had recently won the 100-metres gold in 100 plus category at the World Masters Games in Auckland in April. She had been training hard for the competition at home in Punjab state.
“I felt very bad when my visa was rejected,” she said.
“Wherever we used to go we would come back winners and even this time around I was confident of victory. But it’s not the end of the road. I will continue training and look forward to competing in future events,” Man added.
Kaur, who took up athletics eight years ago at the age of 93, was looking to compete in the 100m, 200m, shot put and javelin categories in the China Masters in Rugao.
She had no prior running experience before her 79-year-old son Gurdev Singh, whose Chinese visa was also refused, suggested she join him in competing on the international masters games circuit.
“We have travelled all over the world, from England to America to New Zealand but never has our visa been rejected,” Singh, a permanent resident of Canada.
“The Chinese Embassy said we don’t have a personal invite but we carried a letter from the Indian Masters Athletics Association which should have been enough.”
Singh and his mother will be travelling to Toronto next month where Kaur will be bestowed with the ‘Lifetime achievement award’ during a function.
Kaur is also one of the nominees for the coveted Laureus World Sports Awards 2017 in the new category – ‘Best Sporting Moment of the Year’.
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