61yr old to Rio

61yr old to Rio

61 year old Mary Hanna ready to take the reins in Rio

Posted on 21.07.2016

Whatever you’re planning on doing at 61, it probably won’t be as awesome as what Mary Hanna is about to achieve.

What do you reckon your exercise regime will be like at 61?

Strolls on the beach and the occasional gentle swing of a golf club sound pretty perfect.

Not for dressage rider Mary Hanna. Instead of having a roll at the local lawn bowls rink, Hanna is set to become Australia’s oldest ever competing Olympian in Rio.

She’ll also become just the third Aussie woman to compete at 5 Games, along with table tennis player Jian Fang Lay, who will also reach the milestone in Rio. The only other woman to complete the feat is beach volleyballer Natalie Cook.

Hanna, who’s a strong contender for the world’s coolest grandma, first represented Australia at the Atlanta Games in 1996 before continuing with Olympic competition at the 2000, 2004 and 2012 Games.

“Every time I have done the Olympics I’ve thought, this is probably the last time I will do it, but after the last time I thought, I am going to keep going with this because I feel fit and healthy and why shouldn’t I? So, here I am.”

“I hope to achieve the best scores I have ever had and push myself up a bracket to be above where I have been previously,” she said.

Source
Erin Byrnes
SBS

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