At the ripe old age of 76, most senior citizens are slowing down. But one Prince George’s County resident is only getting faster after she entered the world of competitive running.
Rose Green is a champion sprinter. She has won medals in the 200 meters, the 400 meters, and is the American record holder in the 60-meter sprint.
She is also a great-grandmother.
Green will turn 77 on May 24 and only took up sprinting last year. But she is already one of the best in the world in her age group.
“She’s world class,” said her coach, Cortez Austin.
Green trains as many as seven days a week with Austin. While he is her coach, he is also a bit more.
“I hate that term — ‘your boo,’” Austin said laughingly. “She is definitely my boo.”
Green and Austin have been dating for four years, but she doesn’t receive any special treatment.
“I think of myself as a very nice coach,” said Austin. “She might not think that.”
“He’ll tell me, ‘Your form is not right, you’re not going as fast as you should,’” Green said. “He’s a very strict coach even though we are lovers.”
Green has accomplished so much in just one year of competitive sprinting. But her career would not have gotten out of the blocks if it were not for the great tradition and reputation of Jamaican sprinters.
“This older guy, he’s 91 now — he always said to me, ‘You are a Jamaican. You were born to sprint. Why don’t you go ahead and do the sprints?’” Green told us.
Since then, she has been sprinting and teaching weight training at the Cameron Grove adult community. Her students and fellow runners see her as an inspiration.
“She is like a celebrity,” said Austin. “It’s no question that she is an inspiration.”
“I hear that so many times that I’m starting to believe that I’m an inspiration to all these people,” Green said.
She runs for fun, but in her heart, she is a competitor. And she is not even close to being finished.
“I’m working towards the world record,” she said. “Why not?”
Green is currently training for the outdoor national championships and the national senior championships, which both take place in July.
Courtesy of: My Fox DC