News vendor, 93, to carry Olympic torch
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-06-15 09:04

The world's fastest woman -- of 90 years or more, at least -- sits on a plastic chair, beside her small newsstand, selling newspapers and magazines.

A traditional rebozo shawl is wrapped around Rosario Iglesias' shoulders and gray hair. She wears a T-shirt, a cheap, blue-checkered dress and faded canvas sneakers. The only hint of a sports achievement is a sponsor's jacket that announces a Web site in her name.

Rosario Iglesias, 93, shows off her medals. [AP]

If there's not much glamour to the life of a masters track and field champion, there is occasional honor. On Tuesday, the 93-year-old news vendor will carry the Olympic torch before tens of thousands of people on the featured leg of its passage through Mexico en route to Athens.

"I'm very proud that they included me," said the woman known as "Chayito," a nickname often applied to Mexican women named Rosario.

For most of her life, Iglesias rose well before dawn, collected newspapers from distributors and ran though the streets delivering them to subscribers, covering nine to 11 kilometers (six to seven miles) a day, according to her grandson Conrado Peralta, 46.

Born in Mexico City on August 31, 1910, she was 80 years old before taking up sports. A customer who was also a runner noticed her rushing about and suggested she enter a race.

She did, she won and she started training, aided by her grandson, who had learned about physical conditioning while on a professional soccer team's backup squad as a youth.

"I had to go running around with the newspapers" so training for a race "wasn't a lot of work," she said.

She kept entering, and kept winning. And she kept delivering newspapers at least part time until about two years ago, when she was 91.

After winning a series of local and national championships at 200, 400, 800 and 1,500 meters, Iglesias began competing abroad. She has won races in Japan, South Africa, Barbados, Britain, Australia, Canada, Puerto Rico and the United States, and plans to attend next year's world championships in Spain.

Iglesias, who began running competitively when she was 80, has won races on five continents.

Peralta reaches into a small bag and spills dozens of gold, silver and bronze medals across the newspapers for sale beside Iglesias -- almost as many awards as she has offspring: Two daughters, 15 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren.

According to World Masters Athletics, the IAAF-recognized sanctioning body for senior athletes, Iglesias holds world records in both the 85- and 90-and-over class at 400 and 800 meters and has the 90-and-over record at 100 meters (38.02 seconds) and 200 meters (82.29).

She trains about an hour a day at local parks, driven there by Peralta, whose work as a trainer follows his chores as a news vendor and taxi driver.

When President Vicente Fox met her in 2001, the government announced it was giving her 4,000 pesos (now about US$360) a month in support.

She has a sponsor -- a company that makes a rejuvenating product -- but earlier trips have been paid for by a scattering of supporters, including the news vendors' union and a sneaker maker.

Her benefits, however, are far from lavish. Iglesias may be the world-record holder in six categories, but she still has to buy her own racing shoes.

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