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This 84-Year-Old Grandmother Is Still Pole Vaulting. Whats Your Excuse?
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of Runners World

Photo of Flo Filion Meile who won gold in pole vault, pentathlon, high jump and hurdles at the indoor World Masters Athletics Championships.

Runners World, July 16, 2018
Posted: August 27th, 2018
https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a22160755/pole-...

Many people worry that theyll end up slowing down as they get older. But that doesnt seem to be concern for 84-year-old Flo Meiler. In fact, this grandmother is just hitting her stride. Meiler, of Shelburne, Vermont, is a regular at the states senior games each year. There, she competes in all of the events, from the hurdles to the pole vaulting. Meiler was a late bloomer to track and field. A sales rep for 30 years, she hit the track for the first time at age 60. Five years later, she tried pole vaulting. Why? It simply seemed like fun, she believed. So she bought herself a How to pole vault video and essentially taught herself the skills she needed to compete. With roughly 750 medals under her belt so far for her age group and senior games victories, Meiler has no plans of stopping. She wants to continue going after records, many of which she already owns. One notable one is her six-foot pole vaulting clearance when she was 80, a world record. So if youre ever feeling insecure about your ability to start something new or reach a goal, just think about Meiler: That 84-year-old is still pole vaulting in Vermont. Whats your excuse?

Note: Watch an inspiring 4-minute BBC video on this amazing woman. Then explore a collection of concise summaries of news articles on amazing seniors.


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