The only obstruction to achieving one’s full potential is the person himself. If you have the willingness to turn your fear into fuel, your failures and your weakness into the reason to keep fighting, there will be no river too wide for you to cross and no mountain too high for you to climb. Daisy Victor, at the age of 87 is proving just that with her recent bronze medal at the World Masters Athletics Championship for short put and discus.

The story behind this extraordinary athlete

Daisy was born in Nazareth near Tirunelveli, where her father worked as a postmaster. It was him who introduced her to the world of sports. “My dad initiated me into sports. I started running when I was eight and till today continue to run,” said Daisy while talking to The Hindu. During her school days, she showed great potential in the track and field events. In 1951, she landed a job at Madras Telephones, which saw her talent as an athlete and gave her special permission to train for two hours every day. Daisy won medals for the organization every single time she represented them. Her passion for athletics was so profound that nothing stopped her from training. “I got married in 1956, delivered six children over a span of 10 years and even during that period did not take a break. I used to run till the third trimester and got back from practice one-month post delivery,” says Daisy. The biggest turning point in her career was in 1980 when the legendary track racer Milkha Singh came to Chennai and formed the Veteran athletics association. He urged Daisy to participate in the Veteran Athletics meet in 1981, where she secured the 7th rank. Later she started coaching under Victor Wilson, who trained her for international meets.

Her Achievements

Daisy has participated in 20 international meets, 36 national meets and 59 district meets in the veteran category. Till now she has won 414 medals, 345 of which are gold. In 1981, Late Indira Gandhi also felicitated her alongside Milkha Singh. The masters’ Athletic championship held in Spain two weeks back saw her win a bronze medal. She also won three gold medals at the district level masters meet held on September 30. Udhavi, a city-based NGO, that works to provide comfort to the elderly who have been abandoned by their loved ones, recently felicitated Daisy for her achievements on the occasion of World Elders day.

Still a lot of fight left in her

Even now, Daisy continues to practice from 7:30 am to 9 am at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium every single day. “Every morning, I pack breakfast and coffee in a flask and leave for practice. It is my routine to go to the bank or post office after practice, and return home by 11 am,” she says. With her husband’s death, Daisy found it hard to cope with his absence and she stopped practising for triple jump and long jumps, which were her favourite events. She is currently concentrating only on discus, shot put and running. Even at such age, she claims that she has never had any medical issues, not even a simple headache. “I have not experienced any illness or aches, thanks to my genes. It is only recently that I am finding it difficult to climb down the stairs.”.

Till this date, Daisy uses her hard earned money to travel to these sports meet and hasn’t received any financial aid from the government. She is however provided with sports medicine by Dr Kannan Pugazhendi since the last 30 years. She now plans to visit her eldest son who lives in Ludhiana and intends to resume practising triple jump and break her own record.

The Logical Indian congratulates Daisy Victor on her recent achievement and salutes her for the dedication and hard work she has been showing at such old age. She has been an inspiration for all. We urge the government to give Daisy the recognition she deserves and provide her with aid as a symbol of support towards her athletics.

Also Read: 102-Year-Old Indian Woman Athlete Clinches Gold In World Masters Athletics Championship