In her youth, her only athletic activity was playing baseball. After her retirement from teaching in 1984, she took up slow-pitch softball. She made a double play at age 70, while playing second base. She gave up her place on the softball team to a 55 year old and took up track and field because it would take advantage of the running and throwing skills she had developed playing softball. At age 77, she started training for track and field events with a Hungarian coach. At the 13th WAVA (World Association of Veteran Athletes) World Championships in Gateshead, England in 1999 in the "W80" category, she broke two world records and six gold medals. At the World Masters Games in Sydney, Australia in 2009, she broke a world record for her age group (90-95 years) in the hammer throw (5.64 metre) and the 100 metre race (23.95 seconds). It was her fourth time competing in the World competition. She carried the Olympic torch in Vancouver in 2010 before the XXI Winter Olympic Games. In 2010, at age 91, her performance far surpassed that of many competitors two age brackets younger. By 2010, she held 23 age-graded world records in the Masters track and field competition. Events she competes in include "long jump, triple jump, high jump, shot put, discus, javelin, weight throw and the 100-metres, 200-metres and 400-metres and 4 x 100-metre relay sprints," per the "The Gazette" of Montreal. Sometimes she has competition, but some of the victories are due to no other women her age running the event. At age 90 she was described as the world's oldest known long jump competitor.
