Within two days of turning 70, Ottawa’s Wendy Alexis had already broken an age-group world record. At the World Masters Athletics Indoor (WMAi) Championships in Gainesville, Fla., on Thursday, the sprinter qualified for the 200m semi-finals, smashing the W70 world record along the way.
Alexis won her heat in a blistering 30.68, surpassing the former mark of 31.17 by nearly half a second and marking her first world record. She also broke Canadian masters legend Karla Del Grande‘s national record of 31.18.
Since Alexis turned 70 after the competition had already begun, she is competing in the W65 age category, but her time qualifies for a W70 record. In the preliminary round, she and Canadian compatriot Renata Macherzynska, who clocked 31.65, finished one-two and will both advance to the semi-final on Friday.
On Monday, Alexis also claimed the W65 60m title, winning both her heat and the final in 8.98 and 8.95, respectively. She was joined on the podium by Puerto Rico’s Marie-Lande Mathieu(9.02) and the U.S.’s Carol Robertson (9.17). Macherzynska fell just short of a medal, taking fourth in 9.21.
A Canadian W70 rivalry?
At the 2024 World Masters Athletics Championships in Sweden last August, her first world championships since 2018, Alexis won gold and silver medals in the W65 100m and 200m, respectively. Del Grande earned the same finishes in the W70 division, taking the 100m world record in 14.70. In an interview with Ottawa Sports Pages in October, Alexis admitted to having her eyes on Del Grande’s W70 mark in the 2025 season. “I’m confident I can get her [world] record,” she said. “Karla is such a fierce competitor, such a good friend. I think I have a bit of an advantage in the 60 and 100 metres, but who knows. She’s always there.”
Click here for full results from the WMAi championships.
