AT 87, THIS WOMAN FROM CHENNAI HAS WON 414 MEDALS, INCLUDING 345 GOLDS

Daisy Victor shows up at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at 7:30 am every day. From running laps and throwing heavy discus, she does it all. If you come across her in Chennai, you'd pass her off as just another old lady. But at the age of 87, Daisy victor is a national and international champion.

In a career spanning over seven decades, Daisy has participated in 20 international meets, 36 national meets, and 59 district meets in the veteran category. Not just that, she has also clinched 414 medals. Out of these 345 are GOLD!

Born in Nazareth, a town near Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli, her love for sports came from her father. Daisy, who started running at the tender age of 8, continues to run at 87. During her school days, she performed extremely well in track events. Even though she earned a job with Madras Telephones in 1951, her talent pushed them to give her special permission to train for 2 hours daily.

“I used to run till the third trimester and got back to practice one-month post-delivery,” she told The Hindu. "Milkha Singh motivated me to participate in world veteran athletic meets and 1981, I went to New Zealand and secured the 7th rank. It was then that I started coaching under Victor Wilson."

Even after all these years, Daisy still wakes up early and trains from 7:30 to 9:30 AM. “Every morning, I pack breakfast and coffee in a flask and leave for practice. It is my routine to go to the bank or post office after practice, and return home by 11 am,” she adds. 

Despite the lack of government support, she proudly recalls the time when she was felicitated by former Prime Minister Late Indira Gandhi, along with Milkha Singh in 1981.

More power to Daisy to win more accolades for the country!

*Report: The Better India*