Masters athletes set to raise the bar in Goa

Panaji: Two athletes above the age of 90 have registered for the 3rd National Women Masters Athletics Championship 2026 at Athletics Stadium, Cujira, starting Saturday.

Goa’s Maria Imelda D’Sousa, a 92-year-old athlete from Mapusa, will participate in 100m, shot put and javelin throw, while Rajasthan’s Pani Devi, 94, will take part in 100m, shot put and discus throw, proving that age is no barrier to being out there on the field.

“Age is truly just a number and our participants from across the country are living proof,” said Savita Tawadkar, chairperson of the organising committee. “People normally associate sports with youth, but we have several others who have balanced families, careers and continued to train with discipline. What these athletes are doing is nothing short of extraordinary.”

Approximately 580 Masters athletes have registered for the championship and will compete in 13 different categories, from age 30 to above 90.

From amongst the Goa athletes, there are several gold medal prospects. Devi Gaonkar, Betty D’Silva, Perpetua Fernandes, Vrunda Verenkar, Juliet Abraham, Fatima have all proved themselves at the national level while Alzira, Avita, Clarissa, Vanessa, Angela, Rosalia, Jayshree, Imelda, Ritinha, Divya can also be counted among the top Masters athletes.

Tami Nadu will arrive in the state with the biggest contingent of 84 participants while Goa and Maharashtra are a close second with 75 participants each. Karanataka (45), Kerala (37), West Bengal (35) and Gujarat (34) are other states with big number of participants.