Toronto’s Karla Del Grande has cemented her status as one of the world’s fastest masters runners, holding more than a dozen world age group records. On Wednesday afternoon at the 2024 World Masters Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden, Del Grande added another record to her illustrious resume by setting a new world record in the W70+ 100m, clocking an impressive 14.70 seconds.
Del Grande’s time won her the gold in the women’s 70+ event, narrowly edging out her Chilean rival, Sara Montecinos, by just one hundredth of a second. Montecinos took the silver with a time of 14.71 seconds, while Finland’s Sinikka Illaru went home with the bronze, finishing in 15.97 seconds.
To put Del Grande’s world record into perspective, she averaged a speed of 25 km/h over 100m at the age of 71. This marks the second time this season that she has broken the 100m world record for the W70+ age group, having run a similar time at last month’s Puma Twilight meet in Hamilton.
Her gold was one of two medals for Canada on Day 2 of the World Masters Athletics Championships in Gothenburg. Calgary’s Maria Zambrano also brought home a medal, winning silver in the W50+ 5,000 metres with a blazing time of 18 minutes and 19 seconds.
Del Grande’s success at the masters level has been nothing short of remarkable. She began competing in 2002 at the age of 49 and has since set numerous Canadian records in various sprint events across both indoor and outdoor competitions. She has been named Ontario Masters Athletics’ Female Masters Athlete of the Year an astounding 12 times and was honoured as the World Masters Athlete of the Decade for 2010-2020.
At 71, Del Grande stands as a beacon of inspiration in Canadian masters running, and is known for her indomitable spirit and record-setting performances. In a recent interview, she voiced her goal of sharing her passion for the sport and encouraging other older women to take up running/track and field.
