Olga Kotelko facts for kids

Olga Kotelko (born March 2, 1919 – died June 24, 2014) was an amazing Canadian track and field athlete. She became famous for her incredible achievements at an older age. Olga held more than 30 world records and won over 750 gold medals. These wins were in the "Masters" competitions for athletes aged 90 to 95. Many people called her "one of the world's greatest athletes." She even held every track and field world record she tried for her age group!

Olga's Early Life

Olga Kotelko was born on a farm in Smuts, Saskatchewan. She was the seventh of eleven children. Her parents, Wasyl and Ann Shawaga, were farmers who had moved from Ukraine.

In 1941, Olga finished her studies at the Saskatoon Normal School. This school is now part of the University of Saskatchewan. After graduating, she started working as a teacher. She taught in a small, one-room school in Vonda, Saskatchewan.

Later, Olga moved to British Columbia to live with her sister. She raised her two daughters, Nadine and Lynda. She also continued her education by taking college classes at night.

Her Amazing Sports Career

When Olga was young, she mostly played baseball. After she stopped teaching in 1984, she started playing slow-pitch softball. At age 70, she made an impressive play at second base!

Olga decided to try track and field because it used her running and throwing skills from softball. She started training at age 77 with a coach from Hungary.

Breaking Records Around the World

In 1999, at the World Championships in England, Olga was in the "W80" category (for women over 80). She broke two world records and won six gold medals!

In 2009, she competed at the World Masters Games in Sydney, Australia. She was in the 90–95 age group. There, she broke a world record in the hammer throw (5.64 meters) and the 100-meter race (23.95 seconds). This was her fourth time competing in the World competition.

Olga even carried the Olympic torch in Vancouver in 2010. This was before the XXI Winter Olympic Games. In 2010, at age 91, her performance was better than many athletes much younger than her.

By 2010, Olga held 23 world records for her age group in Masters track and field. She competed in many events, including:

• long jump
• triple jump
• high jump
• shot put
• discus
• javelin
• weight throw
• 100-meter, 200-meter, and 400-meter sprints
• 4 x 100-meter relay sprints

Sometimes she had other competitors, but sometimes she won because no other women her age were in the event. At age 90, she was known as the world's oldest long jump competitor.

Scientific Studies

Doctors were very interested in Olga's body and muscles. They studied her at the Montreal Neurological Institute and McGill University. They found that her muscle fibers at age 91 were very healthy. They did not show the usual signs of aging that doctors expected in someone over 65.

Her Final Years

Olga Kotelko passed away on June 24, 2014, in North Vancouver. She was 95 years old. She died from a brain bleed. Olga was survived by her daughter, Lynda, and two grandchildren. Her older daughter, Nadine, had passed away in 1999. All ten of Olga's siblings also passed away before her. Just one week before she died, Olga competed in three events in the rain!