97-Year-Old Canadian Sprinter Breaks World Record in 200m

At 97 years old, most people are content to take it easy. Earl Fee just blazed through 200 meters in 48.89 seconds, shattering the world record for his age group by more than a full second.

The Mississauga-based runner broke the mark at an Athletics Ontario meet in Toronto last Sunday. He demolished the previous indoor M95 record of 50.40 seconds, set just last year by Greece's Konstantinos Chatziemmanouil.

Fee's performance came within a second of the outdoor world record for his age group, which stands at 48.09 seconds. To put his speed in perspective, age-graded calculations show his time equals what a 23.33-second 200-meter would be for someone in their twenties.

This marks Fee's 12th current world record. Born in Saskatchewan, he has built an extraordinary collection of marks across multiple age categories and distances.

Indoors, he holds records in the 400-meter for both M90 and M95 divisions, plus six different 800-meter records spanning from M70 to M95. Outdoors, his dominance continues with records in the 400-meter, 800-meter, and even 200-meter hurdles across various age groups.

Beyond his world records, Fee owns 22 Canadian indoor records in events ranging from sprints to the mile, including high jump. He also holds 19 outdoor Canadian records across sprint and middle-distance events.

Why This Inspires

Fee's achievement challenges every assumption about aging and athletic potential. While many people slow down with age, he keeps finding new gears and new records to chase.

His humility shines through too. After breaking his latest world record, Fee simply posted on Facebook: "I am very grateful."

At 97, Earl Fee proves that passion and dedication can rewrite what we think is possible.