The elderly grandmother throwing the shot put. The New York Times even called her the world's "greatest athlete" and "oldest sports enthusiast." Scientists are also full of curiosity about Kotelko, urgently hoping to discover the secret to delaying aging from her. Setting 23 World Records. In 2009, Kotelko participated in the "World Masters Athletics Championships" held in Finland, which is the highest level of competition for senior athletes, with most participants being over 60 years old. In that competition, Kotelko set 23 world records in her age group. Standing 1.5 meters tall, her javelin throw was 41 feet (about 12.5 meters), her shot put was 16.1 feet (about 5 meters), and in her favorite event, the hammer throw, she achieved an impressive 45.4 feet (about 13.8 meters), beating the second-place finisher by 20 feet (6 meters). She secured championships in the shot put, high jump, and 100-meter sprint, as few people in this age group dare to participate in such strenuous exercise.
Kotelko claims her body is "bulletproof" and immune to all illnesses. She has only been to the hospital three times in her life: twice to give birth and once for a hysterectomy. Even now, she still has a great appetite, eating a large plate of pasta and drinking a glass of red wine in the evening. Training three days a week. Many people mistakenly believe that Kotelko was a professional athlete, but in fact, she did not start track and field until she was 77, starting everything from scratch. Later, a Hungarian-born female coach discovered that Kotelko had great athletic talent and hoped she could excel in track and field competitions. Since then, Kotelko has spent three days a week in the gym training, only stopping when her muscles tremble involuntarily. However, she is not without a plan: "I do 10 push-ups in a set, and I do 3 sets; for sit-ups, I do 25 per set, also in 3 sets," Kotelko explains. Hard work pays off; Kotelko not only possesses a strong physique but has also become a role model for the elderly. Her frequently shared advice is to "enjoy every minute and every second of life" and "I am the master of my body." Life is movement. Her advice to the elderly is "use it or lose it," meaning do not let the body sit idle, otherwise, it is over. Kotelko has set a goal for herself to practice the 200-meter and 400-meter sprints until 2014, at which point she will be 95 years old. Heart rate exceeds 135 beats per minute. Today, many scientists have begun to study this ageless legend, examining her muscle structure to see how she differs from the average person. The mitochondria in Kotelko's body show no signs of disease. Mitochondria are known as the power plants of cells. From a scientific perspective, even for a very healthy elderly person, it is almost impossible to be like Kotelko. Scientists put a special elastic vest on Kotelko, which is equipped with various electrodes to measure her cardiac output (the volume of blood pumped by the heart per contraction). After measurement, it was found that Kotelko's heart rate can actually exceed 135 beats per minute, which is the same heart rate range as a young adult after exercise (130-140 beats per minute).